From 27 to 29 August, the POSIPOL 2014 workshop was held at the brand-new library at Ichinoseki-city, Iwate prefecture, Japan. Scientists discussed issues of polarised positron sources, high-intensity positron sources, X-ray/Gamma-ray sources, and their applications. The R&D on positron source technology is crucial for the realisation of the proposed future linear colliders, ILC and CLIC. On […]
A trip down main linac lane
There aren’t many people in the world who can say of themselves that they have walked the whole length of the ILC’s accelerator tunnels and stood in the detector cavern looking up at the ILC detector. In fact, there’s probably only one person in the world who has done all this: Benno List. He is […]
ILC positron target benefits from Chinese technology
A group of Chinese scientists, headed by Xuejun Jia from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently finished the design of the remote handling of the ILC positron target. The target forms part of the positron source and is the place where positrons are produced and then accelerated before they collide […]
The pursuit of polarised positrons
The sixth POSIPOL workshop held at IHEP, Beijing
The POSIPOL 2011 workshop was held from 28 to 30 August at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. It was the sixth in the POSIPOL series of workshops coupling the polarised positron source R&D efforts of next-generation electron-positron colliders such as the ILC and the Compact Linear Collider […]
ILC positron collaboration meeting held in Beijing
On 27 August, one day prior to the POSIPOL 2011 workshop in Beijing – an annual workshop dedicated to polarised positron source R&D for ILC and CLIC – ILC polarised positron source experts gathered to attend an ILC positron collaboration meeting held at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to discuss […]
Positron source relocated to the end of the linac
Three major changes to the Reference Design Report (RDR) baseline have previously been adopted. Today, I announce the approval of the fourth and final top-level baseline change that has been proposed by the Global Design Effort project managers. The undulator-based positron source will be relocated from the 150 GeV energy point to the exit of […]
The millisecond challenge of the flux-concentrating magnet
Scientists complete the design of a crucial component of the ILC positron source, the flux-concentrating magnet.
A lot can happen in a millisecond. Major news agencies compete over milliseconds to be the first to publish breaking stories. In one millisecond, light travels from Geneva, Switzerland to Genoa, Italy. And for a magnet in the ILC positron source, a millisecond is the length of time it must remain strong enough to focus […]
Spreading the positron energy around
ILC scientists develop a robust and reliable positron target
The ILC’s positron target is about to undergo tests of fortitude. Researchers with the Global Design Effort are developing a positron target for the ILC that can stay cool while producing about 1014 positrons per second for collisions with electrons. To accomplish that, it would have to withstand a barrage of photons, stave off feverish […]
Common goals
Today's issue features a Director's Corner from Nick Walker, Project Manager for the Global Design Effort.
As a guest columnist for the Director’s Corner, it is my turn to supply this article approximately once every eleven months. Looking back I see that my last column was just before the LCWS 10 workshop held in Beijing. Interestingly enough, I now find myself on the tail end of another GDE workshop, the recent […]
Spiralling under control
Positron source R&D makes progress
The team developing the ILC’s positron source have every reason to be positive. Recent tests have shown both that the four-meter helical undulator prototype – a device that will produce an intense beam of polarised gamma rays – works in its cryomodule, and that the target that will produce the positrons themselves can reach its […]