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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Observation of Wakefield Suppression in a Photonic-Band-Gap Accelerator Structure

We report experimental observation of higher order mode (HOM) wakefield suppression in a room-temperature traveling-wave photonic band gap (PBG) accelerating structure at 11.700 GHz. It has been long recognized that PBG structures have potential for reducing long-range wakefields in accelerators. The first ever demonstration of acceleration in a room-temperature PBG structure was conducted in 2005. Since then, the importance of PBG accelerator research has been recognized by many institutions. However, the full experimental characterization of the wakefield spectrum and demonstration of wakefield suppression when the accelerating structure is excited by an electron beam has not been performed to date. We conducted an experiment at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) test facility and observed wakefields excited by a single high charge electron bunch when it passes through a PBG accelerator structure. Lastly, excellent HOM suppression properties of the PBG accelerator were demonstrated in the beam test.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Source-to-accelerator quadrupole matching section for a compact linear accelerator

Recently, we presented a new approach for a compact radio-frequency (RF) accelerator structure and demonstrated the functionality of the individual components: acceleration units and focusing elements. In this paper, we combine these units to form a working accelerator structure: a matching section between the ion source extraction grids and the RF-acceleration unit and electrostatic focusing quadrupoles between successive acceleration units. The matching section consists of six electrostatic quadrupoles (ESQs) fabricated using 3D-printing techniques. The matching section enables us to capture more beam current and to match the beam envelope to conditions for stable transport in an acceleration lattice. We present data from an integrated accelerator consisting of the source, matching section, and an ESQ doublet sandwiched between two RF-acceleration units.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fermilab's controls development with virtual accelerator

Control Systems development is often the last thing considered when designing and building new equipment, e.g. a new detector or superconducting RF LINAC; however when the new equipment is installed, it is the first thing desired to be operational for testing. Due to frequent delays in building new equipment and project deadlines, control system development and testing is often curtailed. A way to alleviate this problem is to simulate the control system, though this will be challenging for complex systems.The Fermilab PIP-II (proton improvement plan - II) project is being constructed at Fermilab to deliver $800\,MeV$ protons of $>1\,MW$ beam power to replace the present LINAC for the remainder of the existing accelerator complex. The new LINAC consists of a warm front end (WFE), 23 superconducting RF cryomodules (of 5 types), and a beam transfer line (BTL) to the existing complex.The accelerator physics group has a parallel project to create a digital twin (DT) of the PIP-II accelerator. We have coupled the EPICS controls to this DT and are developing both the DT and EPICS software in parallel. This will allow us to develop the EPICS software framework, the HMIs, sequences, high level physics applications, and other services for use in a fully functional control system.This presentation will detail the work that we have performed to date and show demonstrations of controlling and monitoring the status of the accelerator, as well as future plans for this work.

Hanlet, Pierrick [Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS2019

Energetic Particles of Cosmic Accelerators I: Galactic Accelerators

The high-energy universe has revealed that energetic particles are ubiquitous in the cosmos and play a vital role in the cultivation of cosmic environments on all scales. Our pursuit of more than a century to uncover the origins and fate of these cosmic energetic particles has given rise to some of the most interesting and challenging questions in astrophysics. Energetic particles in our own galaxy, galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), engage in a complex interplay with the interstellar medium and magnetic fields in the galaxy, giving rise to many of its key characteristics. For instance, GCRs act in concert with galactic magnetic fields to support its disk against its own weight. GCR ionization and heating are essential ingredients in promoting and regulating the formation of stars and protostellar disks. GCR ionization also drives astrochemistry, leading to the build up of complex molecules in the interstellar medium. GCR transport throughout the galaxy generates and maintains turbulence in the interstellar medium, alters its multi-phase structure, and amplifies magnetic fields. GCRs could even launch galactic winds that enrich the circumgalactic medium and alter the structure and evolution of galactic disks. As crucial as they are for many of the varied phenomena in our galaxy, there is still much we do not understand about GCRs. While they have been linked to supernova remnants (SNRs), it remains unclear whether these objects can fully account for their entire population, particularly at the lower (approximately less than 1 GeV per nucleon) and higher (~PeV) ends of the spectrum. In fact, it is entirely possible that the SNRs that have been found to accelerate CRs merely re-accelerate them, leaving the origins of the original GCRs a mystery. The conditions for particle acceleration that make SNRs compelling source candidates are also likely to be present in sources such as protostellar jets, superbubbles, and colliding wind binaries (CWBs), but we have yet to ascertain their roles in producing GCRs. For that matter, key details of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) have yet to be revealed, and it remains to be seen whether DSA can adequately explain particle acceleration in the cosmos. This White Paper is the first of a two-part series highlighting the most well-known high-energy cosmic accelerators and contributions that MeV gamma-ray astronomy will bring to understanding their energetic particle phenomena. For the case of GCRs, MeV astronomy will: 1) Search for fresh acceleration of GCRs in SNRs; 2) Test the DSA process, particularly in SNRs and CWBs; 3) Search for signs of CR acceleration in protostellar jets and superbubbles.

Venters, Tonia M.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator

High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. Here in these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positron bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. Finally, the results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Highly efficient accelerator of dense matter using laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration

Acceleration of dense matter to high velocities is of high importance for high energy density physics, inertial confinement fusion, or space research. The acceleration schemes employed so far are capable of accelerating dense microprojectiles to velocities approaching 1000 km/s; however, the energetic efficiency of acceleration is low. Here, we propose and demonstrate a highly efficient scheme of acceleration of dense matter in which a projectile placed in a cavity is irradiated by a laser beam introduced into the cavity through a hole and then accelerated in a guiding channel by the pressure of a hot plasma produced in the cavity by the laser beam or by the photon pressure of the ultra-intense laser radiation trapped in the cavity. We show that the acceleration efficiency in this scheme can be much higher than that achieved so far and that sub-relativisitic projectile velocities are feasible in the radiation pressure regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Probing electron acceleration and x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators

While laser-plasma accelerators have demonstrated a strong potential in the acceleration of electrons up to giga-electronvolt energies, few experimental tools for studying the acceleration physics have been developed. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for probing the acceleration process. A second laser beam, propagating perpendicular to the main beam, is focused on the gas jet few nanosecond before the main beam creates the accelerating plasma wave. This second beam is intense enough to ionize the gas and form a density depletion, which will locally inhibit the acceleration. The position of the density depletion is scanned along the interaction length to probe the electron injection and acceleration, and the betatron X-ray emission. To illustrate the potential of the method, the variation of the injection position with the plasma density is studied.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Multipactor Physics, Acceleration, and Breakdown in Dielectric-Loaded Accelerating Structures

The objective of this 3-year program is to study the physics issues associated with rf acceleration in dielectric-loaded accelerating (DLA) structures, with a focus on the key issue of multipactor loading, which has been found to cause very significant rf power loss in DLA structures whenever the rf pulsewidth exceeds the multipactor risetime (~10 ns). The experiments are carried out in the X-band magnicon laboratory at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Euclid Techlabs LLC, who develop the test structures with support from the DoE SBIR program. There are two main elements in the research program: (1) high-power tests of DLA structures using the magnicon output (20 MW @11.4 GHz), and (2) tests of electron acceleration in DLA structures using relativistic electrons from a compact X-band accelerator. The work during this period has focused on a study of the use of an axial magnetic field to suppress multipactor in DLA structures, with several new high power tests carried out at NRL, and on preparation of the accelerator for the electron acceleration experiments.

11.4 GHz↗
DOE OSTI2015

SOLAR INTERACTING PROTONS VERSUS INTERPLANETARY PROTONS IN THE CORE PLUS HALO MODEL OF DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION AND STOCHASTIC RE-ACCELERATION

With the first observations of solar γ-rays from the decay of pions, the relationship of protons producing ground level enhancements (GLEs) on the Earth to those of similar energies producing the γ-rays on the Sun has been debated. These two populations may be either independent and simply coincident in large flares, or they may be, in fact, the same population stemming from a single accelerating agent and jointly distributed at the Sun and also in space. Assuming the latter, we model a scenario in which particles are accelerated near the Sun in a shock wave with a fraction transported back to the solar surface to radiate, while the remainder is detected at Earth in the form of a GLE. Interplanetary ions versus ions interacting at the Sun are studied for a spherical shock wave propagating in a radial magnetic field through a highly turbulent radial ray (the acceleration core) and surrounding weakly turbulent sector in which the accelerated particles can propagate toward or away from the Sun. The model presented here accounts for both the first-order Fermi acceleration at the shock front and the second-order, stochastic re-acceleration by the turbulence enhanced behind the shock. We find that the re-acceleration is important in generating the γ-radiation and we also find that up to 10% of the particle population can find its way to the Sun as compared to particles escaping to the interplanetary space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Role of Direct Laser Acceleration of Electrons in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator with Ionization Injection

We show the first experimental demonstration that electrons being accelerated in a laser wakefield accelerator operating in the forced or blowout regimes gain significant energy from both the direct laser acceleration (DLA) and the laser wakefield acceleration mechanisms. Supporting full-scale 3D particle-in-cell simulations elucidate the role of the DLA of electrons in a laser wakefield accelerator when ionization injection of electrons is employed. An explanation is given for how electrons can maintain the DLA resonance condition in a laser wakefield accelerator despite the evolving properties of both the drive laser and the electrons. The produced electron beams exhibit characteristic features that are indicative of DLA as an additional acceleration mechanism.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Acceleration in the linear non-scaling fixed-field alternating-gradient accelerator EMMA

In a fixed-field alternating-gradient (FFAG) accelerator, eliminating pulsed magnet operation permits rapid acceleration to synchrotron energies, but with a much higher beam-pulse repetition rate. Conceived in the 1950s, FFAGs are enjoying renewed interest, fuelled by the need to rapidly accelerate unstable muons for future high-energy physics colliders. Until now a 'scaling' principle has been applied to avoid beam blow-up and loss. Removing this restriction produces a new breed of FFAG, a non-scaling variant, allowing powerful advances in machine characteristics. We report on the first non-scaling FFAG, in which orbits are compacted to within 10?mm in radius over an electron momentum range of 12-18 MeV/c. In this strictly linear-gradient FFAG, unstable beam regions are crossed, but acceleration via a novel serpentine channel is so rapid that no significant beam disruption is observed. This result has significant implications for future particle accelerators, particularly muon and high-intensity proton accelerators.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

FIRST-ORDER PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN MAGNETICALLY DRIVEN FLOWS

We demonstrate that particles are regularly accelerated while experiencing curvature drift in flows driven by magnetic tension. Some examples of such flows include spontaneous turbulent reconnection and decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, where a magnetic field relaxes to a lower-energy configuration and transfers part of its energy to kinetic motions of the fluid. We show that this energy transfer, which normally causes turbulent cascade and heating of the fluid, also results in a first-order acceleration of non-thermal particles. Since it is generic, this acceleration mechanism is likely to play a role in the production of non-thermal particle distribution in magnetically dominant environments such as the solar chromosphere, pulsar magnetospheres, jets from supermassive black holes, and γ-ray bursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Laser-driven acceleration of quasi-monoenergetic, near-collimated titanium ions via a transparency-enhanced acceleration scheme

Laser-driven ion acceleration has been an active research area in the past two decades with the prospects of designing novel and compact ion accelerators. Many potential applications in science and industry require high-quality, energetic ion beams with low divergence and narrow energy spread. Intense laser ion acceleration research strives to meet these challenges and may provide high charge state beams, with some successes for carbon and lighter ions. Here we demonstrate the generation of well collimated, quasi-monoenergetic titanium ions with energies ~145 and 180 MeV in experiments using the high-contrast(<10-9) and high-intensity (6× 1020 W cm-2) Trident laser and ultra-Thin (~100 nm) titanium foil targets. Numerical simulations show that the foils become transparent to the laser pulses, undergoing relativistically induced transparency (RIT), resulting in a two-stage acceleration process which lasts until ~2 ps after the onset of RIT. Such long acceleration time in the self-generated electric fields in the expanding plasma enables the formation of the quasi-monoenergetic peaks. This work contributes to the better understanding of the acceleration of heavier ions in the RIT regime, towards the development of next generation laser-based ion accelerators for various applications.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Thresholds for detection of constant rotary acceleration during vibratory rotary acceleration

The effects of vibratory angular acceleration on detection thresholds for constant angular acceleration in a dynamic flight simulator are reported in three experiments. Detection thresholds were determined for 10 pilots and four nonpilots using a random, double-staircase procedure while the subjects sat erect in a device which rotated about an earth-vertical axis. Constant angular acceleration were presented for 0.5 and 1.0 s with concurrent, vibratory angular acceleration at 1 and 5 Hz, and thresholds with no vibratory angular acceleration were established. The thresholds were obtained while the subjects observed a visual reference in the enclosed cockpit in two experiments and in total darkness in a third. The results confirmed earlier experiments showing an inverse relationship between the duration of constant angular acceleration and detection threshold and showed that the detection thresholds in darkness were higher than with a visual reference present. Two analyses of variance revealed no significant differences in thresholds across the three vibration conditions. These results indicate that vibratory angular acceleration of fairly high levels can be present in a dynamic flight simulator without masking the pilot's ability to detect either maneuver or disturbance motions.

Clark, B.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS)/Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE)

The Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) payload flew on the Orbiter Columbia on mission STS-78 from June 20th to July 7th, 1996. The LMS payload on STS-78 was dedicated to life sciences and microgravity experiments. Two accelerometer systems managed by the NASA Lewis Research Center (LERC) flew to support these experiments, namely the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) and the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS). In addition, the Microgravity Measurement Assembly (NOAA), managed by the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESA/ESTEC), and sponsored by NASA, collected acceleration data in support of the experiments on-board the LMS mission. OARE downlinked real-time quasi-steady acceleration data, which was provided to the investigators. The SAMS recorded higher frequency data on-board for post-mission analysis. The MMA downlinked real-time quasi-steady as well as higher frequency acceleration data, which was provided to the investigators. The Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) project at NASA LERC supports principal investigators of microgravity experiments as they evaluate the effects of varying acceleration levels on their experiments. A summary report was prepared by PIMS to furnish interested experiment investigators with a guide to evaluate the acceleration environment during STS-78, and as a means of identifying areas which require further study. The summary report provides an overview of the STS-78 mission, describes the accelerometer systems flown on this mission, discusses some specific analyses of the accelerometer data in relation to the various activities which occurred during the mission, and presents plots resulting from these analyses as a snapshot of the environment during the mission. Numerous activities occurred during the STS-78 mission that are of interest to the low-gravity community. Specific activities of interest during this mission were crew exercise, radiator deployment, Vernier Reaction Control System (VRCS) reboost, venting operations, Flight Control System (FCS) checkout, rack excitation, operation of the Life Sciences Laboratory Equipment Refrigerator/Freezer (LSLE R/F), operation of the JSC Projects Centrifuge, crew sleep, and attitude changes. The low-gravity environment related to these activities is discussed in the summary report.

Hakimzadeh, Roshanak↗
NASA NTRS2010

Accelerator system and method of accelerating particles

An accelerator system and method that utilize dust as the primary mass flux for generating thrust are provided. The accelerator system can include an accelerator capable of operating in a self-neutralizing mode and having a discharge chamber and at least one ionizer capable of charging dust particles. The system can also include a dust particle feeder that is capable of introducing the dust particles into the accelerator. By applying a pulsed positive and negative charge voltage to the accelerator, the charged dust particles can be accelerated thereby generating thrust and neutralizing the accelerator system.

Wirz, Richard E.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Acceleration and evolution of a hollow electron beam in wakefields driven by a Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse

We show that a ring-shaped hollow electron beam can be injected and accelerated by using a Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse and ionization-induced injection in a laser wakefield accelerator. The acceleration and evolution of such a hollow, relativistic electron beam are investigated through three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. We find that both the ring size and the beam thickness oscillate during the acceleration. The beam azimuthal shape is angularly dependent and evolves during the acceleration. The beam ellipticity changes resulting from the electron angular momenta obtained from the drive laser pulse and the focusing forces from the wakefield. The dependence of beam ring radius on the laser-plasma parameters (e.g., laser intensity, focal size, and plasma density) is studied. Such a hollow electron beam may have potential applications for accelerating and collimating positively charged particles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Radiation pressure acceleration: The factors limiting maximum attainable ion energy

Radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is a highly efficient mechanism of laser-driven ion acceleration, with near complete transfer of the laser energy to the ions in the relativistic regime. However, there is a fundamental limit on the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the group velocity of the laser. The tightly focused laser pulses have group velocities smaller than the vacuum light speed, and, since they offer the high intensity needed for the RPA regime, it is plausible that group velocity effects would manifest themselves in the experiments involving tightly focused pulses and thin foils. However, in this case, finite spot size effects are important, and another limiting factor, the transverse expansion of the target, may dominate over the group velocity effect. As the laser pulse diffracts after passing the focus, the target expands accordingly due to the transverse intensity profile of the laser. Due to this expansion, the areal density of the target decreases, making it transparent for radiation and effectively terminating the acceleration. The off-normal incidence of the laser on the target, due either to the experimental setup, or to the deformation of the target, will also lead to establishing a limit on maximum ion energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗