Particle accelerator beams can create significant damage to the targets used to generate particles for experiments. Researchers are designing targets to withstand material degradation from radiation damage, shock from thermal expansion and material fatigue — all caused by accelerated protons.
Science Daily, July 17, 2024
New experimental results show particles called muons can be corralled into beams suitable for high-energy collisions, paving the way for new physics.
Fermilab researchers utilize their knowledge of state-of-the-art accelerator technologies to help tackle needs for the medical device sterilization industry and beyond.
From Advanced Science News, August 19, 2022: A team of researchers led by Fermilab’s Jonathan Jarvis have successfully demonstrated optical stochastic cooling. This improved technique will increase the achievable cooling rate by up to four orders of magnitude and ultimately allowing physicists to spend more time collecting experimental data.
From Yahoo news (Portugal), October 4, 2021: Fermilab is using three detectors to better understand neutrinos to study their oscillations in unprecedented detail. Scientists hope this will learn more about the “ghost particles” in the universe.
The addition of a laser notcher to the Fermilab accelerator complex is an innovative use of familiar technology.
Planning the next big science machine requires consideration of both the current landscape and the distant future.