PIP-II’s international engagement is the secret of success

From CERN Courier, September 27, 2021: Fermilab’s Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) is relying on international collaborations to shape the future of accelerator-based particle physics in the U.S. Lia Merminga and Eduard Pozdeyev provide an insider take.

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Fermilab’s Benjamin Hansen wins award for leadership in cryogenics operations, support

Fermilab feature

The Cryogenic Society of America has awarded Benjamin Hansen its Award for Excellence in Cryogenic Operations and Support. Head of Fermilab’s Cryogenics Operations Department, he received the award for his leadership maintaining and operating six helium cryogenic test facilities.

Fermilab’s new ASPIRE fellowship for underrepresented students aims to develop the next generation of accelerator engineers

Press release

A new fellowship created by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will provide engineering students in underrepresented groups in STEM immersive learning experiences on world-leading particle accelerator projects at Fermilab, starting with the new PIP-II accelerator that will power the world’s most intense neutrino beam. Applications for 2022 open September 2021.

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Successful tests pave the way for Fermilab’s next-generation particle accelerator

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This spring testing wrapped up at the PIP-II Injector Test Facility, or PIP2IT. The successful outcome paves the way for the construction of PIP-II, a new particle accelerator that will power record-breaking neutrino beams and drive a broad physics research program at Fermilab for the next 50 years.

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Fermilab and INFN sign 3 arrangements

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Fermilab signed three international arrangements in June with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, known as INFN. The three arrangements are related to Fermilab’s Short Baseline Neutrino Program, the PIP-II particle accelerator and the EuPRAXIA advanced accelerator project.

UK plays vital role in creating world’s most powerful neutrino beam

From the STFC, May 12, 2021: STFC and US-based Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have agreed to collaborate on building one of the world’s most powerful linear accelerators.

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UK to play vital role in creating the world’s most powerful neutrino beam

The Science and Technology Facilities Council, or STFC, has signed an agreement with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, in the United States, designating how the two organizations will collaborate to build one of the world’s most powerful linear accelerators.

Cryomodules of five different types, one of which is the SSR1 pictured here, boost the energy of the beam. cryomodule, beam, PIP-II, superconducting technology, accelerator Photo: Tom Nicol, Fermilab

Testing wraps up for first Fermilab-designed cryomodule for PIP-II accelerator

Fermilab feature

A Fermilab team has completed tests for a crucial superconducting segment for the PIP-II particle accelerator, the future heart of the Fermilab accelerator chain. The segment, called a cryomodule, will be one of many, but this is the first to be fully designed, assembled and tested at Fermilab. It represents a journey of technical challenges and opportunities for innovation in superconducting accelerator technology.

Engineers and scientists at Fermilab are designing machine learning programs for the lab’s accelerator complex. These algorithms will enable the laboratory to save energy, give accelerator operators better guidance on maintenance and system performance, and better inform the research timelines of scientists who use the accelerators. The pilot system will used on the Main Injector and Recycler, pictured here. It will eventually be extended to the entire accelerator chain. Photo: Reidar Hahn, Fermilab

Fermilab receives DOE funding to develop machine learning for particle accelerators

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Fermilab scientists and engineers are developing a machine learning platform to help run Fermilab’s accelerator complex alongside a fast-response machine learning application for accelerating particle beams. The programs will work in tandem to boost efficiency and energy conservation in Fermilab accelerators.

Major upgrade to Fermilab accelerator complex gets green light

PIP-II

Press release

The U.S. Department of Energy has formally approved the scope, schedule and cost of the PIP-II project at Fermilab. The PIP-II accelerator will become the heart of Fermilab’s upgraded accelerator complex, delivering more powerful proton beams to the lab’s experiments and enabling deeper probes of the fundamental constituents of the universe.