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At least 37 records · Page 2

Molten Salt Targets for Future High-Power Accelerator Facilities

This talk will give an overview of will give an overview of recent work that began to examine the feasibility of molten salts as a target material for very high power beams as a potential solution for some of the present and future challenges of high power targetry at Fermilab, anchored by the F2D2 conceptual design study. This will include discussion of target and beam dump applications as well as likely challenges, potential for future R&D, projects, and synergy with existing high-power targetry research.

Williams, Jonathan K. [Fermilab]↗

Longitudinal Solid P Longitudinal Solid Polarized Target for CL get for CLAS12 and Study of Spin AS12 and Study of Spin Structure of Nucleons

A suite of experiments measuring target-spin observables in electron-nucleon scattering (dubbed Run Group C) was conducted at Jefferson Lab's Hall B in Newport News, VA with a new polarized nuclear target known as 'APOLLO' (Ammonia POLarized LOngitudinally). This innovative target is engineered to seamlessly integrate with the advanced 12GeV CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) accelerator and the Hall B CLAS12 (12 GeV CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer) detector array. The 'APOLLO' target harnesses the power of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) to achieve longitudinal polarization of solid ammonia, thereby creating a net polarization in both protons (NH3) and deuterons (ND3). These samples are subjected to a 5 Tesla magnetic field produced by the CLAS12 spectrometer central solenoid, cooled to 1 K using helium evaporation, and subsequently exposed to microwave radiation at a frequency of 140 GHz. This project was made possible through a collaborative partnership between the Jefferson Lab Target Group, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, Christopher Newport University, and the CLAS Collaboration. Integrating the APOLLO target into CLAS12 presented unique challenges because of its specific spatial and dimensional constraints. This dissertation will highlight the innovative solutions developed to address these challenges, including the creation of a new target material transport system, the incorporation of superconducting magnetic correction coils, and the development of a customized Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) system. In addition to a detailed description of the development and operation of APOLLO, and an overview of RGC, this document also describes the global data fitting of proton asymmetries in the Deep Inelastic scattering (DIS) and the Resonance regions, and it offers insights into the comprehensive analysis of target polarization data.

Pandey, Pushpa↗

Design and Contruction of a Longitudinally Polarized Solid Nuclear Target for CLAS12

A new polarized nuclear target has been developed, constructed, and deployed at Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, VA for use with the upgraded 12 GeV CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) accelerator and the Hall B CLAS12 (12 GeV CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer) detector array. This ?APOLLO? (Ammonia PO-Larized LOngitudinally) target is a longitudinally polarized, solid ammonia, nuclear target which employs DNP (Dynamic Nuclear Polarization) to induce a net polarization in samples of protons (NH3) and deuterons (ND3) cooled to 1 K via helium evaporation, held in a 5 T polarizing field supplied by the CLAS12 spectrometer, and irradiated with 140 GHz microwave radiation. It was utilized in the RGC (Run Group C) experiment suite through a collaboration of the JLab Target Group, Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University, the University of Virginia, and the CLAS Collaboration. RGC comprised six experiments which measured multiple spin-dependent observables across a wide kinematic phase space for use in nucleon spin studies. The dimensional constraints necessary for the incorporation of APOLLO into CLAS12, as well as the considerations necessary to utilize the CLAS12 solenoid, introduced unique challenges to the target design. This document presents the innovative solutions developed for these challenges including a novel material transport system, superconducting magnetic correction coils, and an all new bespoke NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) system. In addition to a detailed description of the complete target system and an initial report of the RGC experimental run, it will also present a study of Quark-Hadron Duality in the g1 spin structure function based on Hall B EG1b data and pQCD fits from the JAM (Jefferson Lab Angular Momentum) Collaboration.

Lagerquist, Victoria Lagerquist↗

Agentic artificial intelligence for multistage physics experiments at a large-scale user facility particle accelerator

We present a language-model-driven agentic artificial intelligence (AI) system to autonomously execute multistage physics experiments on a production synchrotron light source. Implemented at the Advanced Light Source particle accelerator, the system translates natural language user prompts into structured execution plans that combine archive data retrieval, control-system channel resolution, automated script generation, controlled machine interaction, and analysis. In a representative machine physics task, we show that preparation time was reduced by 2 orders of magnitude relative to manual scripting even for a system expert, while operator-standard safety constraints were strictly upheld. Core architectural features, plan-first orchestration, bounded tool access, and dynamic capability selection, enable transparent, auditable execution with fully reproducible artifacts. These results establish a blueprint for the safe integration of agentic AI into accelerator experiments and demanding machine physics studies, as well as routine operations, with direct portability across accelerators worldwide and, more broadly, to other large-scale scientific infrastructures.

Accelerator/storage ring control systems↗

High-Power Targetry R&D for Next-Generation Accelerator Target Facilities

Beam-intercepting devices such as beam windows and particle-production targets are critical components of accelerator target facilities for High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments. The high-power, pulsed structure of the particle beams used for these experiments leads to thermal shock and high-cycle fatigue in addition to radiation damage resulting from the accumulated particle fluence. This can lead to degradation of the target system s mechanical and thermal properties; considerably reducing their lifetimes and presenting substantial challenges to reliable operation of multi-MW class facilities. Recently several major accelerator facilities have been forced to operate at reduced power levels due to target survivability concerns. Furthermore, at Fermilab it is planned to increase the neutrino production beam power up to 2.4 MW in coming years. Therefore, timely R&D on the irradiated behavior of target system materials is critical to efficient operation of accelerator facilities and full utilization of recent accelerator power upgrades for HEP research. This talk will begin with an overview of high-power targetry, and the significant challenges presented by beam power increases expected for future HEP experiments. We will then cover several past materials irradiation studies that have been completed by the High-Power Targetry R&D group at Fermilab and its collaborators on common accelerator and target materials such as graphite, beryllium, titanium, and tungsten. Finally, we will conclude with a discussion of two novel materials investigations under way within the group; high-entropy alloys for beam window applications, and electrospun nanofibers to serve as particle production targets.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Impact of superlattice size on quantum efficiency and polarization in MOCVD-grown strained GaAs/GaAsP photocathodes

Strained superlattice GaAs photocathodes are crucial for providing high photocurrent beams of spin-polarized electrons at several accelerator facilities including the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the future Electron–Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Here, in this work, we study the effects of varying the number of superlattice pairs on the polarization and photocurrent of the photocathodes. We observe a saturation in quantum efficiency beyond 30 pairs, with additional layers yielding minimal photocurrent improvement while noticeably reducing the polarization of the beam.

Chemical vapor deposition↗

Novel Materials for Next-Generation Accelerator Target Facilities

As beam power continues to increase in next-generation accelerator facilities, high-power target systems face crucial challenges. Components like beam windows and particle-production targets must endure significantly higher levels of particle fluence. The primary beam’s energy deposition causes rapid heating (thermal shock) and induces microstructural changes (radiation damage) within the target material. These effects ultimately deteriorate the components’ properties and lifespan. With conventional materials already stretched to their limits, we are exploring novel materials including High-Entropy Alloys and Electro spun Nanofibers that offer a fresh approach to enhancing tolerance against thermal shock and radiation damage. Following an introduction to the challenges facing high-power target systems, we will give an overview of the promising advancements we have made so far in customizing the compositions and microstructures of these pioneering materials. Our focus is on optimizing their in-beam thermomechanical and physics performance. Additionally, we will outline our ongoing plans for in-beam irradiation experiments and advanced material characterizations. The primary goal of this research is to push the frontiers of target materials, thereby enabling future multi-MW facilities that will benefit various programs in high-energy physics and beyond.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

AI-Ready Semantic Infrastructure for CEBAF: From CED to PALS Knowledge Graphs

JLab and PNNL are jointly developing an AI-ready data ecosystem that exposes the Continuous Electron Beam Acceleration Facility’s (CEBAF’s) operational configuration, lattice description, and control-system channels to agentic optimization frameworks through a standards-based semantic layer. The effort integrates the existing facility-specific CEBAF Element Database (CED) with extensions of the emerging facility-agnostic Particle Accelerator Lattice Standard (PALS) to produce a knowledge graph (KG) containing coherent, machine-interpretable views of devices, signals, and regions. With this KG, CEBAF’s setpoints, readbacks, and device hierarchies become queryable using a uniform declarative graph query language (e.g., Neo4j Cypher), providing intents and inspectable semantics suitable for agentic control. The resulting graph-backed interfaces will allow autonomous agents to retrieve authoritative machine configurations, reason over device- and signal-level relationships, and execute tuning and diagnostic workflows without bespoke CEBAF-specific logic, thereby delivering a scalable pathway from operational data to trustworthy agentic accelerator tuning frameworks.

Zhang, He [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator F↗

Snowmass 21 Discussions on Future Accelerator HEP Facilities

The US particle physics community planning exercise (a.k.a. Snowmass) is organized every 7 to 9 years to provide a forum for discussions among the entire particle physics community to develop a scientific vision for the future of particle physics in the U.S. and its international partners. The Snowmass 21 Accelerator Frontier activities include discussions on high-energy hadron and lepton colliders, high-intensity beams for neutrino research and for Physics Beyond Colliders, accelerator technologies, science, education and outreach as well as the progress of core accelerator technologies, including RF, magnets, targets and sources. Here we summarize the Snowmass 21 discussions on future HEP accelerator facilities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Polarization observables 𝑇 and 𝐹 in the 𝛾⁢𝑝→𝜋 0 ⁢𝑝 reaction at CLAS

Pion photoproduction in the $\vec{γ}$$\vec{p}$ → π 0 p reaction has been measured in the FROzen Spin Target (FROST) experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. In this experiment, circularly polarized photons with energies up to 3.082 GeV impinged on a transversely polarized frozen-spin target. Final-state protons were detected in the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) Large Acceptance Spectrometer. The polarization observables T and F have been extracted for W from 1445 to 2525 MeV, of which the energy range is much broader, and the precision is better than the existing measurements in higher W ranges. The data generally agree with predictions of present partial-wave analyses but also show marked differences for higher W ranges. By incorporating the present data into the databases, the Scattering Analysis Interactive Data (SAID) fits have been improved with relatively small χ 2 and significant changes in the parameters of the (1910)1/2 + and N(2190)7/2 − have been found with the JüBo model.

particle production↗

Status of permanent magnet radiation resiliency studies at CEBAF

An ongoing investigation for the future of Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) lies in upgrading its maximum nominal energy using Fixed-Field Alternating-gradient (FFA) technology for its recirculating arcs, using permanent magnets for the FFA arcs. A common concern among the community is the degradation of these permanent magnets during operation due to the radiation environment in which they will be present. This work, funded by a Laboratory Directed R&D grant, aims to measure the permanent magnet degradation in the CEBAF tunnel enclosure, and extrapolate to the energies expected from the upgrade. We present the latest results of this study, as well as plans moving forward.

Accelerator Physics↗

Design progress for the 22 GeV CEBAF energy upgrade

In this work we examine the progress made in the design of the proposed FFA upgrade to the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). This proposed upgrade will double the number of passes through the two linacs by replacing the two highest energy arcs with new Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFA) arcs, roughly doubling the energy. These FFA arcs will use permanent magnets in a Halbach configuration to shape their fields. The design involves new optics for the linacs and remaining electromagnetic arcs, as well as new electromagnetic separators. These feed into the permanent magnet FFA arcs. We also report on ongoing studies of the dynamics of the beams, and an experiment to measure the effects of radiation on the permanent magnets.

Accelerator Physics↗

CONCEPT OF A POLARIZED POSITRON SOURCE FOR CEBAF

Positron beams would provide new and meaningful probes for the experimental program at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), including but not limited to future hadronic physics and dark matter experiments. Critical requirements involve generating positron beams with a high degree of spin polarization, sufficient intensity and a continuous-wave (CW) bunch train compatible with acceleration to 12 GeV at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). To address these requirements, a polarized positron injector based upon the bremsstrahlung of an intense CW spin polarized electron beam is considered*. First a polarized electron beam line provides >1 mA of polarized electrons at ~120 MeV to a high-power target for positron production. Next, a second beam line collects, shapes and aligns the spin of positrons for users. Finally, the positron beam is matched into the CEBAF acceptance for acceleration and transport to the end stations with energies up to 12 GeV. An optimized layout to provide positrons beams with intensity >100 nA (polarized) or intensity >3 µA (unpolarized) will be discussed in this poster.

Habet, S. H.↗

The Present and Future of QCD: QCD Town Meeting White Paper – An Input to the 2023 NSAC Long Range Plan

It is currently understood that there are four fundamental forces in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak and strong forces. The strong force governs the interactions between quarks and gluons, elementary particles whose interactions give rise to the vast majority of visible mass in the universe. The mathematical description of the strong force is provided by the non-Abelian gauge theory Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). While QCD is an exquisite theory, constructing the nucleons and nuclei from quarks, and furthermore explaining the behavior of quarks and gluons at all energies, remain to be complex and challenging problems. Such challenges, along with the desire to understand all visible matter at the most fundamental level, position the study of QCD as a central thrust of research in nuclear science. Experimental insight into the strong force can be gained using large particle accelerator facilities, which are necessary to probe the very short distance scales over which quarks and gluons interact. The Long Range Plans (LRPs) exercise of 1989 and 1996 led directly to the construction of two world-class facilities: the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) that is focused on studying how the structure of hadrons emerges from QCD (cold QCD research), and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) that aims at the discovery and study of a new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at extremely high temperatures (hot QCD research). These past investments have produced major advances. Nucleons and nuclei are being studied with increasing precision with a unified description of the partonic structure utilizing multi-dimensional imaging. Significant progress has been made, paving the way towards a complete picture of how quarks and gluons give rise to the mass, spin, and momentum of the nucleon. In hot QCD, the QGP is created in the collisions of nuclei at RHIC and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and is observed to behave like a fluid with very low specific shear viscosity; the current goals are to understand how the fluid behavior emerges from QCD and to characterize the temperature (and chemical potential) dependence of the properties of the QGP. As this White Paper is written, current experimental programs at CEBAF, RHIC and the LHC continue to provide exciting near term opportunities to capitalize on the investments in experimental equipment and accelerator operations. Most importantly, the QCD community looks forward to the construction of the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) as a major new facility to push forward QCD research in the next decades, with significant focus on exploring the properties of gluons, the mediators of the strong force.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Accelerator Neutrinos

Neutrino beams from particle accelerators are vital for probing fundamental physics, enabling experiments like DUNE and NOvA to study neutrino oscillations and CP violation. These experiments push proton beam power to multi-MW levels and require precise beam instrumentation to manage flux and enhance precision. This talk will explore advancements in neutrino beam technology, highlighting the challenges and future prospects of high-intensity, well-collimated beams for next-generation accelerator facilities. Neutrino beams from particle accelerators are vital for probing fundamental physics, enabling experiments like DUNE and NOvA to study neutrino oscillations and CP violation. These experiments push proton beam power to multi-MW levels and require precise beam instrumentation to manage flux and enhance precision. This talk will explore advancements in neutrino beam technology, highlighting the challenges and future prospects of high-intensity, well-collimated beams for next-generation accelerator facilities.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Tau tridents at accelerator neutrino facilities

We present the first detailed study of Standard Model neutrino tridents involving tau leptons at the near detectors of accelerator neutrino facilities. The rates of these processes were previously thought to be negligible, even at future facilities. Our full 2 → 4 calculation, including both coherent and incoherent scatterings, reveals that the DUNE near detector could observe a considerable number of tau tridents—an important background to new physics searches. We identify promising kinematic features that may allow distinction of tau tridents from the usual neutrino charged-current background at DUNE, and thus establish the observation of tau tridents for the first time. We also comment on the detection prospects at other accelerator and collider neutrino experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗