Proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration - a new route to TeV e+e- collider

Lead Research Organisation: Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Planned Impact

This project is naturally a multi-disciplinary pursuit involving accelerator, plasma and particle physicists as well as engineers and technical staff. If successful, this method of acceleration could provide a new cost-effective route to a TeV-scale electron-positron linear collider. This application is for significant development and is wide-ranging in scope. Although equipment will be purchased from UK-based companies, this will initially be small due to the financial limitations of the bid but could increase significantly in the future. As we in the UK are a significant part of this project from the start, should the final goal be realised, there is potential for economic stimulus to the UK which building a large-scale research facility brings. This will involve the potential for large industrial contracts, training for students and other staff and knowledge exchange between academic institutes and industry arising from the R&D and the method of plasma wakefield acceleration.

The final aim of this project is to build an accelerator for investigation of fundamental particles and forces, however, the principle of plasma wakefield acceleration could revolutionise accelerators in general. The accelerating gradients achieved are three orders of magnitude higher than current techniques allowing a corresponding reduction in the size (and cost) of future accelerators. This could then benefit any branch of science, health or industry which uses particle accelerators. An example is for future free electron laser facilities which could benefit significantly from this technique in which the acceleration of electrons takes place using a much shorter accelerating structure.

Diagnostic techniques developed here could benefit many plasma wakefield experiments with different goals or applications. Additionally, the improved simulations of the dynamics of the plasma will aid our understanding of plasmas in general. Therefore the work done here could benefit accelerators planned for other industries using the technique of plasma wakefield acceleration.

Finally, the physics behind the accelerator R&D and the final goal of the next energy-frontier collider will excite future students and captivate the public in much the same was as the Large Hadron Collider has. Having the UK as part of such cutting-edge development in order to be leaders of future experiments on the nature of the physical world is essential and beneficial for society. Any economic impact, as mentioned above, can only be achieved through being a strong partner. And the societal benefit of encouraging students to study physics and improving the general public's knowledge of science can best be achieved if we are part of future pursuits.

Publications

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Bracco C (2016) AWAKE: A Proton-Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment at CERN in Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings

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Caldwell A (2016) Path to AWAKE: Evolution of the concept in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

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Gschwendtner E (2016) AWAKE, The Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment at CERN in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

 
Description Self-modulation of CERN SPS beam has been observed as predicted and the main thrust of this run of AWAKE

Electron acceleration experiments were performed at CERN using the self-modulated beam, but we were not involved due to lack of funding.

The discharge plasma, first developed in this project, has been now used in self-modulation experiments at CERN
Exploitation Route A second run of AWAKE is being prepared for which the plasma source may be used,

We have received further funds to develop the plasma source.
Sectors Government

Democracy and Justice

Other

 
Description Discharge source that we have developed is being considered for the next phase of the AWAKE experiment (AWAKE II)
First Year Of Impact 2018
Sector Other
Impact Types Cultural

 
Description AWAKE-II 2
Amount £41,568,800 (GBP)
Funding ID ST/X006301/1 
Organisation Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 03/2025
 
Description EuPRAXIA
Amount £132,142 (GBP)
Funding ID 653782 
Organisation European Commission 
Department Horizon 2020
Sector Public
Country European Union (EU)
Start 11/2015 
End 10/2019
 
Description AWAKE-II 
Organisation European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Country Switzerland 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Developing plasma cells for longer length plasmas required for AWAKE-II experiment and developing associated diagnostics.
Collaborator Contribution Preparation of the SPS beam line for the AWAKE experiment. Recent additions include adding a high performance electron injection beamline.
Impact A number of high profile publications have resulted in the AWAKE project though none yet using the new plasma source.
Start Year 2013
 
Description IST AWAKE contribution 
Organisation University of Lisbon
Department Instituto Superior Tecnico
Country Portugal 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are collaborating with Dr Nelson Lopes to develop a next generation plasma cell for the AWAKE-II run. We have built a prototype in the Blackett Laboratory that will be expanded to 10m to be implemented in CERN. We are also contributing with diagnostics of the cell.
Collaborator Contribution Dr Lopes was instrumental in the building of the cell, in design for the power supply (which uses solid-state switches to be low power) and in pitching the use of the cell to the AWAKE collaboration.
Impact Dr Lopes has obtained seed-corn money from the FCT in Portugal to continue cell development, and we have recently been awarded money in the AWAKE-UK collaboration to build a cell for CERN.
Start Year 2012
 
Description Talk to IC-SW Alumni Association 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 30-40 IC Alumni interested in research taking place in the University.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Talk to Imperial College PhysSoc 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Talked about novel plasma accelerators to undergraduate students, which many reported was the first time they had heard of the concept.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018