Rika Takahashi | 10 December 2009The 4th annual ILC detector workshop was held at KEK from 2 to 4 December. This series of workshops, led by Hitoshi Yamamoto, professor at Tohoku University, are funded by the Creative Scientific Research Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This workshop marked the first after the validation of ILC detectors by the International Detector Advisory Group, and scientists discussed the global efforts toward the 'detailed baseline design' of ILC detector.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: ILC detector workshop, KEK
3 December 2009The research program at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is facing a grave possibility of a severe budget cut, as recommended by the recently issued Public Budget Review by Japanese government. This affects Japanese renowned research programs including the ones hosted by KEK, such as elementary particle physics and related fields in astrophysics, material and life sciences. More than 260 universities and laboratories attend these programs. I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you what KEK is doing to enhance its research and education programs, and also would like to solicit your opinions. Science has played a crucial role in our society, contributing to our understanding of the world around us, and supplying knowledge bases to develop innovative technologies. The Japanese science community has made remarkable contributions to this effort. This is clearly seen in the Nobel Prize-winning works by Yukawa and Tomonaga in the past, and by Nambu, Kobayashi, Maskawa and Shimomura in 2008. These achievements have only been possible through public understanding of the importance of basic research and the support by our government. KEK is an "Inter-University Research Institute" that supports research programs with an emphasis of advanced, large-scale particle accelerators as the primary research platform. KEK has engaged in a wide range of research activities, such as the studies of the missing antimatter and the neutrino mass, the search for new materials for industrial applications, the structural protein analysis of influenza virus, the development of catalyst to be used for clean automobile engines, and others. KEK hosts around 6,000 visiting scientists annually from more than 160 universities and 100 laboratories, as well as 1,000 scientists from more than 50 countries. KEK is one of the major accelerator laboratories in the world to host global-scale, collaborative research programs in accelerator related science. KEK also provides more than 5,000 young students annually from elementary, mid-high and high schools as well as from colleges and universities with opportunities to acquaint themselves with the cutting edge research environment at the leading particle accelerators. KEK’s accelerator has provided the experimental confirmation of the Nobel Prize-winning Kobayashi-Maskawa theory, which continues to inspire young generations. It is a place for future scientists and engineers to get hands-on experience with the ongoing science by attending lectures and trying experiments. These experiences stimulate their interests in science, and help them think about their career. Needless to say, the wise use of funding and time available is our responsibility of utmost importance. It is particularly so in the difficult economic situation that we all face now. Unfortunately, the public review of the Japanese national budget in November, 2009 resulted in a recommendation that the "Special Educational and Research Fund" is to be significantly reduced. This funding accounts for more than 50% of the KEK's annual budget. If this reduction happens as per the recommendation, scientists at and around KEK would lose the research opportunities and a major outflow of research talent to overseas might ensue. Future recovery from this set-back could easily take years, and require greater amount of budget than the amount cut next year. Neglect of the importance of fundamental research could result in a long-term stagnation of our national competitiveness. We do our best to serve scientists from across the nation and around the world, to carry out the high-quality research programs with cutting-edge technologies by maintaining the world-class research facilities. We would like to hear your thoughts on our research programs. Please use the form below to tell us that you think by December 10.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: Japan, Japan budget, KEK
12 November 2009When you plan to move and try to find helpers, they often ask: to which floor? If the DESY people working in the detector lab would depend on the help of friends, they would have difficulties to find volunteers because the answer would be: seventh floor! Everything has to be transported from the ground floor to deep down underground. The HEP groups' detector lab moves from hall 5 to HERA hall west. In order to make room the electronics hut of the still present HERA-B detector was dismantled.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: DESY, HERA
29 October 2009From 7 to 18 September China hosted the Fourth International Accelerator School for Linear Colliders in Beijing at Huairou. Among 69 students from 21 countries, there were 29 students from Asia, including 15 Chinese students. Since 2005, Chinese PhD students majoring in ILC-related topics are increasing steadily, ranging from global beam dynamics, final focus, superconducting technology (such as superconducting cavity, coupler, and cryostat), positron source, damping ring, and so forth.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: China, LC school, linear collider school
15 October 2009What do you visualise when you are asked about a sensor? There are many sensors around us. For example, CCDs (Charge Coupled Device), which is the basis of today’s digital camera, and the technology for this year's Nobel Prize in Physics are also sensors. Thus, sensors are absolutely necessary devices for our daily life and also important technologies for the International Liner Collider. In the last years, many new sensors have been developed for the ILC, one of them being pixel sensors using Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology for particle detectors, under development at KEK’s Detector Technology Project Office. This sensor is expected to serve as one of the alternatives for particle sensors used in such parts as the silicon vertex detector.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: CMOS, detector R&D, KEK, monolithic pixel detector, pixel sensors, sensor, silicon-on-insulator, SOI technology
8 October 2009Scientists at Kyoto university are testing a new type of thermal sensor for superconducting cavities on the vertical test for ILC at the Superconducting radiofrequency Test Facility (STF) at KEK. This sensor is under development by a Kyoto-KEK collaboration The team is developing this new device to address issues in the components of the sensor – tangled wires and resistors. At STF, a carbon resistor is used for vertical testing of nine-cell cavities. They have already installed 350 sensors on the outer surface of the nine-cell cavity, and 700 lead wires were needed to connect both ends of sensors through cryogenic area and outside, in order to measure the temperature. “For a shorter developing time, I have chosen carbon resistor which is technologically proven in the past superconducting cavity R&D. This structure is simple, not so sophisticated.” said Yasuchika 'Kirk' Yamamoto, the scientist at KEK who designed the present system. When the cavity is being tested, it is cooled to 2 kelvins, and has to stay at that temperature as much as possible. In general, it is best to use the smallest possible number of lead wires to prevent heat invasion to the cryogenic area. “The current system needs too many lead wires, and the production of the carbon resistor has been discontinued, we thought we should develop a new thermal sensor to replace it,” he said.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: KEK, STF, thermal sensors, vertical test
Barbara Warmbein | 1 October 2009A 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 system performance of fully fitted cryomodules like the record prototype. The accelerator module will be built into the FLASH free-electron laser at DESY, making it possible to increase the FLASH energy to 1.2 GeV. This means that even shorter wavelengths down to 4.5 nanometers will be available for experiments starting next year.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: cryomodule, FLASH, XFEL
Elizabeth Clements | 10 September 2009In August, the Department of Energy announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide Fermilab with $52.7 million to test and develop superconducting radio frequency cavities, a key technology for next-generation accelerators and the future of particle physics. The funds provide a significant boost to the SRF program at Fermilab, allowing the laboratory to expand its test facilities and strengthen American manufacturing capabilities.
Category: Around the World | Tagged: ARRA, Fermilab, Recovery Act, SRF technology, United States
Barbara Warmbein | 3 September 2009It takes vision to be able to image the transformation of one thing into another. Take a football field, for example. What are your associations – running, competition, goals, fun? And now imagine you want to build a new accelerator. What would you use the field for? The European XFEL team at DESY did not have to reflect for very long: acceleration, competition, goals? An accelerator module test facility of course! It’s only a small step to the next vision: an accelerator module test facility for the ILC…
Category: Around the World | Tagged: DESY, XFEL
