After a shamefully long absence from the blogosphere, I’m finally back with a post about my work on calorimeters for the Linear Collider. I’ve already written about this a bit, for example here and here, and more details about the CALICE analog hadron calorimeter I’m mostly focusing on here and on my webpage. The key […]
Experts eye the eyes of the future
Two-day silicon photomultiplier workshop at DESY
Sometimes detector projects that are still at a planning stage can tell detector projects that are already taking data what hardware to use. This is certainly the case when the R&D project has been using, trying and testing a technology that the ‘old hand’ is considering for its upgrade: a relatively new type of sensor […]
Aiming low, shooting high
Experts from different fields get together to tackle a common problem: emittance
Not all people who have the same goals use the same means to achieve them — just think of the two proposed electron-positron colliders ILC and CLIC. And not all people who use the same means also pursue the same goals. Aworkshop held in January at CERN in Geneva brought the two linear colliders and […]
EU projects get musical
All about the AIDA project proposal
Greek mythology, cartoon characters and plays on words – projects and collaborations in high-energy physics don’t always conform to the stereotype of the incomprehensible acronym. If a new project to be submitted to the European Commission for funding, answering a call from it Seventh Framework programme (FP7), gets approval, the world of opera can be […]
The mysterious Universe – brought to Albuquerque
Public lecture draws impressive crowd
Jim Brau’s lecture on the mysterious Universe attracted a wide Albuquerque public. The lecture was held at the University of New Mexico. Images: ILC. Even though University of Oregon professor and Americas regional contact for the ILC physics and detectors studies Jim Brau had specifically invited a young audience to his public lecture on 1 […]
One sheet to plot them all
DESY database becomes standard tool for cavity research
The new worldwide ILC cavity database features only nine-cell, no single-cell cavities like the one held by Camille Ginsburg in this picture. Image: Fermilab. The idea sounds simple enough: collect all the data that exist in the world on cavities – nine-cell TESLA-style cavities, to be precise – including all tests, manufacturers and achieved gradients […]
Linear developments
New detector R&D group at CERN looks for synergies with ILC
The new group for linear collider detector development at CERN is less than a year old, but it is growing fast: a number of students and fellows are already working on simulations, and as of next year there will be funds for actual hardware development. The linear collider detector R&D group (LCD) is led by […]
Cryomodule surpasses ILC gradient test
European-XFEL cryomodule using SCRF technology sets new record
A cryomodule prototype for the European XFEL has set the world gradient record for cryomodules built with superconducting radiofrequency technology, reaching an average accelerating gradient of more than 32 megavolts per metre (MV/m) in recent tests. This is an important step towards major goals set for the ILC’s Technical Design Phase (TDP), which include demonstrating […]
9 mA revisited
Machine experts run DESY’s FLASH accelerator under ILC parameters
The last two weeks were two of the most important (and intense) weeks for accelerator specialists working on the ILC. After a long period of preparation and a series of first tests, they have just finished a period of successfully running the superconducting linear accelerator FLASH at DESY under ILC-like conditions to demonstrate that a […]
Progress on ILC detectors
International Detector Advisory Group completed its report
Two ILC detector concepts, ILD and SiD, have been validated by the International Detector Advisory Group. (SiD CAD model rendering courtesy of Marco Oriunno) ILD and SiD, two of the three detector concepts that submitted Letters of Intent, have been recommended for validation to Research Director Sakue Yamada by the International Detector Advisory Group (IDAG), […]