Engineering topics

Black, Kevin

Publications and source records attributed to Black, Kevin.

8 records

DOE OSTI2025

The Muon Collider

Muons offer a unique opportunity to build a compact high-energy electroweak collider at the 10 TeV scale. A Muon Collider enables direct access to the underlying simplicity of the Standard Model and unparalleled reach beyond it. It will be a paradigm-shifting tool for particle physics representing the first collider to combine the high-energy reach of a proton collider and the high precision of an electron-positron collider, yielding a physics potential significantly greater than the sum of its individual parts. A high-energy muon collider is the natural next step in the exploration of fundamental physics after the HL-LHC and a natural complement to a future low-energy Higgs factory. Such a facility would significantly broaden the scope of particle colliders, engaging the many frontiers of the high energy community. The last European Strategy for Particle Physics Update and later the Particle Physics Project Prioritisation Panel in the US requested a study of the muon collider, which is being carried on by the International Muon Collider Collaboration. In this comprehensive document we present the physics case, the state of the work on accelerator design and technology, and propose an R\&D project that can make the muon collider a reality.

Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph)↗

DOE OSTI2024

MuCol Milestone Report No. 5: Preliminary Parameters

This document is comprised of a collection of updated preliminary parameters for the key parts of the muon collider. The updated preliminary parameters follow on from the October 2023 Tentative Parameters Report. Particular attention has been given to regions of the facility that are believed to hold greater technical uncertainty in their design and that have a strong impact on the cost and power consumption of the facility. The data is collected from a collaborative spreadsheet and transferred to overleaf.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Interim report for the International Muon Collider Collaboration (IMCC)

The International Muon Collider Collaboration (IMCC) [1] was established in 2020 following the recommendations of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP) and the implementation of the European Strategy for Particle Physics-Accelerator R&D Roadmap by the Laboratory Directors Group [2], hereinafter referred to as the the European LDG roadmap. The Muon Collider Study (MuC) covers the accelerator complex, detectors and physics for a future muon collider. In 2023, European Commission support was obtained for a design study of a muon collider (MuCol) [3]. This project started on 1st March 2023, with work-packages aligned with the overall muon collider studies. In preparation of and during the 2021-22 U.S. Snowmass process, the muon collider project parameters, technical studies and physics performance studies were performed and presented in great detail. Recently, the P5 panel [4] in the U.S. recommended a muon collider R&D, proposed to join the IMCC and envisages that the U.S. should prepare to host a muon collider, calling this their "muon shot". In the past, the U.S. Muon Accelerator Programme (MAP) [5] has been instrumental in studies of concepts and technologies for a muon collider.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2017

An Optimized Photoelectron Track Reconstruction Method for Photoelectric X-Ray Polarimeters

We present a data processing algorithm for angular reconstruction and event selection applied to 2-D photoelectron track images from X-ray polarimeters. The method reconstructs the initial emission angle of a photoelectron from the initial portion of the track, which is obtained by continuously cutting a track until the image moments or number of pixels fall below tunable thresholds. In addition, event selection which rejects round tracks quantified with eccentricity and circularity is performed so that polarimetry sensitivity considering a trade-off between the modulation factor and signal acceptance is maximized. The modulation factors with applying track selection are 26.6 ± 0.4, 46.1 ± 0.4, 62.3 ± 0.4, and 61.8 ± 0.3% at 2.7, 4.5, 6.4, and 8.0 keV, respectively, using the same data previously analyzed by Iwakiri et al. (2016), where the corresponding numbers are 26.9±0.4, 43.4±0.4, 54.4±0.3, and 59.1 ± 0.3%. The method improves polarimeter sensitivity by 5%–10% at the high energy end of the band previously presented (Iwakiri et al. 2016).

Kitaguchi, Takao↗

NASA NTRS2014

Properties of the Flight Model Gas Electron Multiplier for the GEMS Mission

We present the gain properties of the gas electron multiplier (GEM) foil in pure dimethyl ether (DME) at 190 Torr. The GEM is one of the micro pattern gas detectors and it is adopted as a key part of the X-ray polarimeter for the GEMS mission. The X-ray polarimeter is a time projection chamber operating in pure DME gas at 190 Torr. We describe experimental results of (1) the maximum gain the GEM can achieve without any discharges, (2) the linearity of the energy scale for the GEM operation, and (3) the two-dimensional gain variation of the active area. First, our experiment with 6.4 keV X-ray irradiation of the whole GEM area demonstrates that the maximum effective gain is 2 x 10(exp 4) with the applied voltage of 580 V. Second, the measured energy scale is linear among three energies of 4.5, 6.4, and 8.0 keV. Third, the two-dimensional gain mapping test derives the standard deviation of the gain variability of 7% across the active area.

gas electron multiplier (GEM)↗

NASA NTRS2014

Monte-Carlo Estimation of the Inflight Performance of the GEMS Satellite X-Ray Polarimeter

We report a Monte-Carlo estimation of the in-orbit performance of a cosmic X-ray polarimeter designed to be installed on the focal plane of a small satellite. The simulation uses GEANT for the transport of photons and energetic particles and results from Magboltz for the transport of secondary electrons in the detector gas. We validated the simulation by comparing spectra and modulation curves with actual data taken with radioactive sources and an X-ray generator. We also estimated the in-orbit background induced by cosmic radiation in low Earth orbit.

Monte-Carlo simulation↗

NASA NTRS2013

FPGA-Based X-Ray Detection and Measurement for an X-Ray Polarimeter

This technology enables detection and measurement of x-rays in an x-ray polarimeter using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The technology was developed for the Gravitational and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS) mission. It performs precision energy and timing measurements, as well as rejection of non-x-ray events. It enables the GEMS polarimeter to detect precisely when an event has taken place so that additional measurements can be made. The technology also enables this function to be performed in an FPGA using limited resources so that mass and power can be minimized while reliability for a space application is maximized and precise real-time operation is achieved. This design requires a low-noise, charge-sensitive preamplifier; a highspeed analog to digital converter (ADC); and an x-ray detector with a cathode terminal. It functions by computing a sum of differences for time-samples whose difference exceeds a programmable threshold. A state machine advances through states as a programmable number of consecutive samples exceeds or fails to exceed this threshold. The pulse height is recorded as the accumulated sum. The track length is also measured based on the time from the start to the end of accumulation. For track lengths longer than a certain length, the algorithm estimates the barycenter of charge deposit by comparing the accumulator value at the midpoint to the final accumulator value. The design also employs a number of techniques for rejecting background events. This innovation enables the function to be performed in space where it can operate autonomously with a rapid response time. This implementation combines advantages of computing system-based approaches with those of pure analog approaches. The result is an implementation that is highly reliable, performs in real-time, rejects background events, and consumes minimal power.

Gregory, Kyle↗

NASA NTRS2008

Exploiting the Photoelectric effect for X-ray Polarimetry using Time Projection Chamber

The promise of photoelectric X-ray polarimetry has now been realized in laboratory demonstrations and may soon be used for astrophysical observations. Photoelectric polarimetry in gas filled proportional counters achieves high sensitivity through a combination of broad band width and good modulation. The band can be tuned by careful choice of gas composition and pressure. The measurements rely on imaging the tracks of photoelectrons. The initial direction of each track carries information about the electric field of the X-ray photon, and an ensemble of such measurements thus measures the net polarization of the source. A novel readout geometry using time projection chambers (TPC) allows deep (i.e. high efficiency) detectors, albeit without the ability to image the sky. Polarimeters which exploit the TPC geometry can be optimized for use behind telescopes, to study faint persistent sources, or as wide field of view instruments, designed to study bright transient events such as gamma-ray bursts or solar flares. We present the conceptual design of both types of TPC polarimeter. Recent laboratory results demonstrate that these polarimeters can achieve substantial gains in the polarization sensitivity achievable in experiments of modest size.

Jahoda, Keith↗