In 2006, Fermilab’s Particle Physics Division teamed up with MIT’s Lincoln Labs to start work on the first iteration of a new kind chip for the proposed International Linear Collider’s vertex detector. A new way to slim down chips was emerging in the semiconductor industry, one that could potentially make it easier to measure the […]
From Fermilab Today: New technique for generating RF power may dramatically cut linac costs
If you own a magnetron, you probably use it to cook frozen burritos. The device powers microwave ovens by converting electricity into electromagnetic radiation. But Fermilab engineers believe they’ve found an even better use. They’ve developed a new technique to use a magnetron to power a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavity, potentially saving hundreds of millions […]
Full ILC-type cryomodule makes the grade
For the first time, the ILC gradient specification of 31.5 megavolts per metre has been achieved on average across all of the eight cavities assembled in an ILC-type cryomodule. A team at Fermilab reached the milestone earlier this month. It is an achievement for scientists, engineers and technicians at Fermilab and Jefferson Lab in Virginia […]
Of cavity performance, tiny beams and official roles: progress in a maturing project
From 12 to 16 May, the Americas Workshop on Linear Colliders (AWLC) 2014 was held at Fermilab in the US. AWLC is one of the series of regional linear collider workshops held around the world. The purpose of this workshop was the continued development of the physics case, and advancing detector and accelerator designs for […]
From Fermilab Today: First cavity in Cryomodule 2 achieves goal gradient
‘A little dirt never hurt’
Fermilab researchers may have found an unexpected way to improve SRF cavity performance: adding impurities
Like a jeweler hunting for a flawless diamond, for years, researchers have pursued purity in the niobium material used to make superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities. But a team at Fermilab recently discovered that adding a bit of impurity may actually improve cavity performance. This year, a team led by Fermilab scientist Anna Grassellino found that […]
No more HF?
Fermilab and Faraday Technology Inc. are developing an environmentally and worker friendly electropolishing technique for SRF cavities
The standard electropolishing process for SRF cavities requires a mixture of strong, potentially hazardous acids to smooth the inner surfaces of the cavities, allowing them to reach high gradients. Researchers at Fermilab and Faraday Technology Inc. have developed a new water-based process that would be both safer for workers and more environmentally friendly. In June, […]
Hydrides: the nemesis of high-quality SRF cavities?
Fermilab researchers make headway towards improving SRF cavities by understanding more about how hydrides may limit their quality factors
Hydrogen has long been known as a possible enemy of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities – like those needed for the ILC – because of its potential to form non-superconducting hydrides that limit cavity quality factor (Q) and gradient. Researchers at Fermilab have made further progress in understanding the full physics behind hydrogen involvement, which is […]
Take two for cryomodule 2
Fermilab reinstalls CM2, plans to be ready for cooldown in July
With the repair and reinstallation of the cryomodule known as CM2, researchers at Fermilab, US, are back on the road towards achieving the International Linear Collider’s R&D goal (named task force “S1”): operating a cryomodule at ILC gradient specifications. Originally installed in May 2012 as a part of the Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator (ASTA) in […]
Moving from emotions to negotiations
We particle physicists have lived through some exciting times recently. A few years ago, the world witnessed live when the LHC was switched on for the first time (to my countdown). A few days later, one of the interconnects broke, and it took us more than a year to get the LHC back into shape. […]