EuCARD >> News >> Newsletters >> Issue 7 >> Article 1
 


A word from the Project Coordinator:

EuCARD - European Coordination for

Accelerator Research and Development
 

The EuCARD project gathers 37 European partners engaged in state-of the-art technologies to upgrade major research accelerators.
 

The main components and objectives of the project are:

• Networks, focused on communication and dissemination, neutrino physics facilities, performance of hadron colliders and accelerators, and RF technologies, resulting in 40 leading laboratories worldwide being associated with EuCARD.

• Transnational access facilities, offering precision beams and muon cooling setup, and pulsed irradiation for material testing.

• Joint research: 21 R&D tasks grouped under the following themes:

  • Investigating the feasibility of new superconducting magnets and electrical links using Nb3Sn and/or High Temperature Superconductors.
  • Investigating the gradient limits for radiofrequency (RF) accelerating structures, whether normal or superconducting, together with specific issues of linear colliders such as extreme geometrical stabilization.
  • Developing more robust collimators for the protection of accelerators in operational and exceptional conditions.
  • Supporting investigations on novel accelerator concepts, such as crab waist crossing, fixed field alternating gradient and plasma wave accelerators.
   


The EuCARD project started promptly with meetings of its Governing Board and Steering Committee in the first few days. The scientific progress, as measured by the 33 contractual milestones, closely follows the plans (see image above). The six deliverables of the first period were all submitted successfully. Publications show the dynamism of project members, with about 200 publications and 60 oral presentations.

The communication network (WP2-DCO), in collaboration with the management, has provided the web site, collaborative workspace intranet and publication database with a user-friendly portal. The number of web site visitors, mostly from the EU and USA, exceeds by about a factor 2.5 the number of EuCARD members. A quarterly project newsletter is widely distributed beyond the project and a series of accelerator sciences monographs has been launched with eight books printed so far.

      



Actual (solid line) and planned (dashed line) project milestones. Image courtesy of EuCARD.
 
 
 
 
 
 

The WP3-NEu2012 network aims to structure the European accelerator neutrino community around common goals, in collaboration with other more advanced international communities. The network’s added value has rapidly been recognized, and a number of its members have been selected to organise major world events in this field, including editing reference proceedings. An important outcome has been the recognition, acknowledged by CERN management and council, of the need to reinforce European contribution to the international R&D effort on neutrino facilities. The network has prepared ground for an international review of its planned report on a European roadmap for existing and future neutrino facilities. Meanwhile the network closely follows CNGS results, and the revival of a new beam line on CERN machines is being considered.
 



New compact crab cavity topologies, AccNet LHC-CC09 workshop. Image courtesy of EuCARD.

  

The accelerator networks (WP4-AccNet) have rapidly demonstrated their usefulness to the accelerator community. Building on the success of FP6-CARE-HHH, AccNet-EuroLumi has quickly become the international platform where accelerator scientists discuss hadron machine performance and upgrades in efficient topical mini-workshops attracting the best experts.

In collaboration with partner laboratories, EuroLumi has initiated and organized 5 well-attended workshops (crab cavities, electron-cloud mitigation, crystal collimation, beam-driven plasma acceleration) and prepared the first workshop on a very ambitious LHC energy upgrade. Conclusions of these meetings have already led partners to strategic choices for upgrades.

 
 
 
 

The new RFTech network has started bringing together experts and has created an international working group on superconducting RF. AccNet enabled several important collaborations and scientific exchanges with more than 20 scientists and students from other institutes and universities, notably KEK (Japan), FNAL (USA), CINVESTAV (Mexico), GSI (Germany), INFN (Italy).

The open access facility HiRadMat@SPS (WP5-TA) was not planned for this first period. However an LHC incident in 2008 has led to unexpected delays. Despite this, CERN is making significant progress with planned HiRadMat availability in Q4’2011, keeping the goal of fulfilling the contractual access units.

The MICE@STFC open facility (WP6-TA) is operational, with appropriate communications and a selection board. To date four European teams from Italy, Bulgaria and Switzerland have been granted transnational access of 1329.22 access units (beam-hours) and scientific achievements resulting from these TA awards have been received. This EU support has opened opportunities for these university teams, and has stimulated a highly productive spreading of expertise among those working at MICE.

 

After initial design studies, the partners of WP7-High Field Magnets have opted for a simple 2D block coil structure that provides a field of 13 Tesla, a suitable field quality together with strains in the Nb3Sn coil not exceeding 150 MPa. The ratio of operational to peak field is as high as 99%. The complexity however resides in the coil ends that must be bent in a “hard way”. A dedicated tooling was built and allowed demonstrating the feasibility.

Support studies accompany the design: set-up and certification procedures are defined for the radiation resistance of coil insulation and impregnation. A simple thermal model has been devised, now being upgraded to include the helium and expected heat loads, to investigate the magnet temperature margin.

 



Dipole coil cross-section with colour-coded magnetic field. Image courtesy of EuCARD.
 
 

The material for the HTS (High Temperature Superconductor) coil, to be inserted in the main magnet and boost its field by 6 Tesla, is being characterized. YBCO is the favoured candidate. This HTS coil may be subject to extreme conditions in case of resistive transition of the main magnet. Initial simulations are rather encouraging but HTS data on critical currents are insufficient. A first YBCO solenoid was built and more are needed to reach satisfactory performance. The dipole insert design has not shown showstoppers so far.

For HTS power links, the cable design is complete and the HTS materials (MgB2, YBCO and BSCCO2223) are being studied and characterized, including their splices. Two industrial partners contribute to the study and produce HTS tapes. Another challenging use of Nb3Sn is under study for a short helical undulator. Winding tests are encouraging. Packing tests have shown a best compromise between current and operating margins for 0.5 mm diameter bare wires. The corresponding wire has been procured and delivered.

 



FAIR cryocatcher prototype in construction. Image courtesy of EuCARD.

  

WP8-Collimation and Materials is ahead of schedule in the design, construction and testing of LHC and FAIR innovative collimators. The CERN “intelligent” collimator prototype is already designed built and under test in the SPS beam. It has demonstrated its superior operability (setup in seconds rather than 15 minutes). The innovative FAIR “cryocatcher” is designed and industrial production is starting. In parallel, new advanced materials (Cu-Diamond, Al-Diamond, Ag-Si-D) are produced and characterized, showing promising mechanical strength. Radiation tests have been carried out and shock-wave modelled at several laboratories. The FAIR collimation studies have provided detailed efficiency calculations and the development of advanced collimation control algorithms has already found applications in the LHC.

 
 

WP9-NCLinac focuses on two main subjects: high gradient acceleration in room temperature accelerating structures and issues common for normal conducting (NC) and superconducting (SC) Linear Colliders related with their extremely small beams at collision (alignment, stabilisation and RF phase control). The infrastructures supported by NCLinac are CTF3 at CERN, DAΦNE at LNF, Italy and ATF2 at KEK, Japan. With over 50 publications, NCLinac has had a very successful first 18 months.

Studies allowed improving the CLIC module integration with PETS (RF power transmission system between drive and main beams), accelerating structures and ancillary equipment (see right-hand image).

 



The design of a typical CLIC Module Type 1. Image courtesy of EuCARD.
 
 
 

Significant progress has been made in understanding breakdown physics with simulations combining molecular dynamics and plasma physics; novel damped detuned structures were developed that meet the ambitious CLIC target by interleaving. Two interesting new approaches allowed mechanical stabilisation down to nanometre level; tests important for the Final Focus active and passive stabilisation could be initiated at KEK’s ATF2 facility, first results with seismic sensors exceed expectations.

Designs of beam delivery systems for both CLIC and ILC were performed successfully and different beam position monitors with micrometre precision could be validated at ATF2. The design of a low-impedance, high-precision phase pick-up could be finished and the low-noise electronics to detect phase jitter in the 20 femtosecond range is well advanced.
 



Model of the b=0.65, 704 MHz Nb cavity with helium tank.


Model of the LHC-Crab Cavity 4-rod compact design. Images courtesy of EuCARD.

  

WP10-SRF “Superconducting RF technologies” has produced four new radio-frequency cavity concepts and designs: two superconducting cavities, with 5 elliptical cells at 704 MHz frequency, optimized to accelerate proton beams with relativistic velocities v=0.65c and v=c, two crab-crossing transverse deflecting RF structures, one superconducting 4-rod compact cavity, at 400 MHz frequency and one normal-conducting periodic structure for CLIC.

Detailed design aspects such as input couplers, tuning systems, damping of wakefields and parasitic modes and, for the elliptical cavities, Helium tanks, have been studied at the engineering level. Prototypes of the three superconducting cavities will be fabricated and tested with RF in the coming period.

Other tasks on thin film cavities, new low-level RF controls based on the telecommunication ATCA standard, study of higher order mode (HOM) signals as beam diagnostics, RF coupler cleaning and conditioning and superconducting RF gun are all progressing according to plan.

 
 

WP11-ANAC (Assessment of Novel Accelerator Technologies) has rapidly progressed in the study and implementation of the new interaction region configuration of DAΦNE, combining crab waist crossing with the upgraded KLOE detector. New layout, vacuum chambers and magnets are in place. The commissioning is on-going and its conclusive deliverable is anticipated ahead of schedule. This situation has allowed mitigating staff issues related to the crab waist study applied to LHC, which has almost recovered from an initial delay.

The EMMA fixed-field alternating-gradient (FFAG) ring instrumentation is largely constructed and installed, and a first commissioning has given encouraging results. A delay in the fabrication of frontends of the beam position monitors prevented beam acceleration assessment. Studies will resume early 2011. The emittance meter suitable for very specific conditions of an electron beam accelerated by laser-plasma wakefield has been defined.

 



 New DAΦNE interaction region. Image courtesy of EuCARD.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

EuCARD management, beyond running the project, has also contributed to tightening links in the accelerator community and creating sustainable collaborations. The first annual meeting devoted a full day to accelerator R&D in the host state, other FP7 programmes and the US. One session chaired by ESGARD (European Steering Group for Accelerator R&D) dealt with the collaborative organization. With modest additional funding from CERN, and in response to community requests, WP4-AccNet has recently expanded to initiate a third network on plasma acceleration (EuroNNAc). The introduction of a fourth network, on industrial and medical applications of accelerators, is under discussion.

EuCARD members were also actively involved in forming a worldwide collaboration for an LHC high luminosity upgrade for an FP7 Design Study proposal, which could lead to the first example of a global project to upgrade a European flagship High Energy Physics infrastructure. EuCARD TAs supplement the open access facilities of many EuCARD partners, open to over 10,000 users worldwide. The Joint Research Activities concern the largest or most innovative accelerator infrastructures in Europe, with a huge potential impact on scientific progress and training the European scientists of tomorrow. The JRA activities also stimulate investments in infrastructure upgrades at a level of billions of Euros, with a potential significant impact on European industry, requested to progress well beyond the state-of-the-art. All JRA technical fields studied, whether higher field magnets, high accelerating gradient cavities, improved collimation, innovative accelerators, have potentially major impact on society, e.g. in the industrial and medical domains, where the vast majority of accelerators are used. For example, the French Institut Curie evaluates the need of hadron therapy for 14,000 patients in 2011, whereas their recently upgraded infrastructure will only allow 900 patients. More compact, simpler and cheaper accelerators will undoubtedly have a significant societal impact, for medicine, industry, energy and beyond.


Coordinator: CERN

Partners: AIT (AT); EPFL, PSI, UNIGE (CH); HZB, DESY, BHTS, FZD, KIT, GSI, UROS (DE); CIEMAT, CSIC (ES); TUT, UH (FI); CEA, CNRS, UJF (FR); Columbus, INFN, POLITO (IT); UM (MT); IFJ PAN, IPJ, PWR, TUL, WUT (PL); BINP, RRC KI (RU); UU (SE); RHUL, SOTON, STFC, ULANC, UNIMAN, UOXF-DL (UK).

Web site: http://www.cern.ch/EuCARD/ 


- Jean-Pierre Koutchouk, CERN, EuCARD Project Coordinator

Please contact the EuCARD editor with news, events, achievements, images and ideas that you would like added to the public website, newsletter or Intranet.