Generation of A High-Density, Axially Homogeneous Helicon Plasma for the AWAKE Wakefield Accelerator Project

为 AWAKE Wakefield 加速器项目生成高密度、轴向均匀螺旋等离子体

• 批准号: 2308846
• 负责人: Oliver Schmitz
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2308846&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Generation; Density; Axially; Homogeneous; Helicon

This award supports a study of a novel method to accelerate particles to very high energies using plasma as the accelerating medium. Acceleration of elementary particles to high energies entails creating high electric fields in which these particles can reach velocities close to the speed of light. In this project, a plasma - an ionized gas of electrically charged particles - is used to create very strong electric fields that can accelerate particles to such high velocities. The technology to create this plasma with the right features is unique and involves controlling the plasma column to make it very uniform for several hundred meters. The project aims to develop this technology and provide it for the design process for a new type of particle accelerator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. The award supports graduate and undergraduate students, including collaborative student travel to the CERN facility. The plasma generation for the planned particle accelerator entails utilizing radio-frequency waves known as Whistler waves. This approach, called helicon plasma generation, was developed several decades ago and is known to create plasma with very high efficiency. In this project, the helicon plasma source technology is qualified for application in wakefield particle acceleration as a next-generation particle accelerator technology. Advanced, laser-based spectroscopic methods to measure plasma density are established and used together with state-of-the-art finite element modeling of the wave propagation and measurements of these characteristics using a microwave interferometer and magnetic probes. These efforts establish the basis for the design of a plasma source prototype for the Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment (AWAKE) project at CERN. The axial plasma density profile for the AWAKE project has to be homogeneous within 0.25%, an unprecedented goal to reach with this plasma source. If successful, the plasma source will reduce the length of next-generation linear accelerators by a factor of 20-30, and hence may have a major impact on system complexity and cost for future accelerator-based high energy particle physics studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项支持一种使用等离子体作为加速介质将粒子加速到非常高能量的新方法的研究。 基本粒子加速到高能量需要产生高电场，这些粒子可以达到接近光速的速度。在这个项目中，等离子体-一种带电粒子的电离气体-被用来产生非常强的电场，可以将粒子加速到如此高的速度。创造具有正确特征的等离子体的技术是独一无二的，包括控制等离子体柱，使其在数百米范围内非常均匀。该项目旨在开发这项技术，并将其用于欧洲核研究组织（CERN）新型粒子加速器的设计过程。 该奖项支持研究生和本科生，包括合作学生前往欧洲核子研究中心设施。计划中的粒子加速器的等离子体产生需要利用被称为哨声波的射频波。这种称为螺旋等离子体生成的方法是几十年前开发的，并且已知以非常高的效率产生等离子体。 在本计画中，螺旋等离子体源技术作为下一代粒子加速器技术，具备应用于韦克菲尔德粒子加速的条件。 先进的，基于激光的光谱方法来测量等离子体密度的建立和使用的波的传播和测量这些特性的微波干涉仪和磁探针的最先进的有限元建模一起使用。 这些工作为欧洲核子研究中心先进质子驱动等离子体韦克菲尔德加速实验（AWAKE）项目的等离子体源原型设计奠定了基础。 AWAKE项目的轴向等离子体密度分布必须均匀在0.25%以内，这是该等离子体源前所未有的目标。如果成功的话，等离子体源将使下一代直线加速器的长度缩短20-30倍，因此可能对未来基于加速器的高能粒子物理研究的系统复杂性和成本产生重大影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。