The work of the BE-EA group was well represented at this year's IPAC, the flagship conference in accelerator physics. Three members of BE-EA-LE presented five posters from 19 to 24 May in Nashville, Tennessee.
A central part of their work was dedicated to studies for the he competitors that hoped to succeed the NA62 experiment in ECN3 in CERN’s North Area. NA62's successor SHiP, which was selected during the CERN Research Board session on 6 March, needs a high-intensity proton beam and therefore requires modifications of the P42 beamline. Luke Dyks simulated how to reach a pencil beam by modifying the TAX absorber as well as the magnets and beam optics, such as a collimator that can cope with the increased radiation which comes with a high-intensity beam.
Studies have been also conducted for the other experimental proposals, HIKE and SHADOWS. PhD student Florian Stummer presented the results of his simulations that focussed on reducing the muon background in the proposed neutrino experiment called NaNu, which was part of the SHADOWS experiment. Muons are produced together with neutrinos and, unlike other particles, both muons and neutrinos pass through all detectors and leave traces in the emulsion films that would have been used to detect the traces of the neutrinos. The more muons leave their traces, the more often these films need to be exchanged, thus substantially increasing the costs of the experiment. An excellent method that has been proven to efficiently remove many muons is to install an O-shaped magnet that sweeps the muons away before they can hit the emulsion film. This increases the longevity of the emulsion films and thus reduces the costs.
Elisabetta Parozzi showed the status of ongoing performance studies that further optimise the overall efficiency of the secondary beamlines on offer for test-beam users in CERN’s East Area located at the Proton Synchrotron. Therefore, the secondary beamlines have been implemented in the BDSIM (Beam Delivery Simulation) Monte Carlo simulation software to assess the impact on beam transmission, purity and overall efficiency, which is crucial for future upgrades and potential additional modifications.
On behalf of Maarten van Dijk and Jan Buesa Orgaz, Elisabetta further presented the work on Cherenkov threshold detectors (XCET). By observing Cherenkov light emitted by charged particles travelling inside a pressurised gas vessel, XCETs are used for particle identification in CERN’s experimental areas. A key component of the XCET detector is the 45-degree flat mirror reflecting the emitted Cherenkov light towards the photomultiplier (PMT). To optimise its performance, thorough analysis and optimisation was conducted on the design and materials of this mirror, along with the surface coatings and coating techniques. A suitable manufacturing process was selected, and the first mirror prototype was produced, installed and tested in the East Area at CERN. Experimental data obtained during beam tests is presented to assess the efficiency of the new coating and materials used.
These talks only show a fraction of the breadth of essential activities that are carried out by the BE-EA group.