High Intensity Proton Driver Research Articles

High intensity cyclotrons for neutrino physics

In recent years, the interest in high intensity proton beams in excess of several milli-amperes has risen. Potential applications are in neutrino physics, materials and energy research, and isotope production. Continuous wave proton beams of five to ten milli-amperes are now in reach due to advances in accelerator technology and through improved understanding of the beam dynamics. As an example application, we present the proposed IsoDAR experiment, a search for so-called sterile neutrinos and non-standard interaction using the KamLAND detector located in Japan. We present updated sensitivities for this experiment and describe in detail the design of the high intensity proton driver that uses several novel ideas. These are: accelerating H2+ instead of protons, directly injecting beam into the cyclotron via a radio frequency quadrupole, and carefully matching the beam to achieve so-called vortex motion. The preliminary design holds up well in PIC simulation studies and the injector system is now being constructed, to be commissioned with a 1MeV/amu test cyclotron.

Modeling multiturn stripping injection and foil heating for high intensity proton drivers

${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ stripping injection into the Fermilab recycler ring, combined with a beam phase painting technique, has been considered. The multiparticle three-dimensional beam dynamics with space charge has been studied numerically, using STRUCT and ORBIT codes, for different painting scenarios. In order to achieve a uniform (quasi-KV) phase-space distribution and to reduce the foil heating, the following parameters were investigated: the number of turns, strengths and temporal forms of kicker magnets, and foil geometry. Performance of the stripping foil is a crucial parameter of the whole injection scheme, so that the latter has been designed to minimize the hit number on the foil. The temperature regime has been evaluated both semianalytically and numerically using Monte Carlo codes MARS and MCNPX, with radiation cooling and transport of $\ensuremath{\delta}$ electrons taken into account. That all results agreed well proves the consistency of the models. It has been shown that the stripping foil can survive during injection with the parameters chosen for Project X at Fermilab.

The CARE project (Coordinated Accelerator Research in Europe)

CARE, an ambitious and coordinated project of accelerator research and developments oriented towards High Energy Physics projects, has been launched in January 2004 by the main European laboratories and the European Commission with the 6th Framework Programme. This project aims at improving existing infrastructures dedicated to future projects such as linear colliders, upgrades of hadron colliders and high intensity proton drivers An important part of this programme is devoted to advancing the performance of the superconducting technology, both in the fields of RF cavities for electron and proton acceleration and of high field magnets, as well as to developing high intensity electron and proton injectors. We describe the plans of the four main Joint Research Activities and report on the results and progress obtained so far. The CARE project also includes three adjacent Networking Activities whose main goal is to organize a forum of discussions and to provide the strategic plans in the fields of the Linear Collider, intense Neutrino Beams, and future Hadron Colliders.

Physics at an Upgraded Fermilab Proton Driver

In 2004 the Fermilab Long Range Planning Committee identified a new high intensity Proton Driver as an attractive option for the future, primarily motivated by the recent exciting developments in neutrino physics. Over the last few months a physics study has developed the physics case for the Fermilab Proton Driver. The potential physics opportunities are discussed.

Neutrino oscillation studies with laser-driven beam dump facilities

A new mechanism is suggested for efficient proton acceleration in the GeV energy range; applications to non-conventional high intensity proton drivers and, hence, to low-energy (10–200 MeV) neutrino sources are discussed. In particular, we investigate possible uses of these sources to explore subdominant ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e oscillations at the atmospheric scale and their CP conjugate. We emphasize the opportunity to develop these facilities in conjunction with projects for inertial confined nuclear fusion and neutron spallation sources.

Space-Charge Dominated Beams in Synchrotrons

The equations of motion for space-charge dominated beams in synchrotron are derived. We find that the space-charge force generates an identical defocusing function to the betatron motion and dispersion function. The self-consistent envelope equation obeys the Kapchinskij--Vladimirskij-type equation similar to that of the linear transport system. We employ these results to analyze the stability of the crystalline beams, and discuss the implication on the high intensity proton driver for the neutron spallation sources.