Ultra-short and tuneable positron beams for high-resolution and volumetric inspection of materials
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Mathematics and Physics
Abstract
Sub-micron defects represent a well-known fundamental problem in manufacturing since they significantly affect performance and lifetime of virtually any high-value component. Even small-scale defects can have a dramatic effect in the performance and lifetime of high-performance and high-value components, especially when made in, and required to perform under, hostile environments. Heat and pressure treatments, new welding methods, radiation exposure, impact damage, are all examples of scenarios that can leave sub-micron defects in materials during advanced manufacturing or extreme performance use.
Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) is arguably one of the most successful techniques for the non-invasive inspection of materials and identification of small-scale defects. PALS presents several unique advantages compared to other inspection techniques: it works virtually with any type of material (crystalline and amorphous, organic and inorganic, biotic and abiotic), it can identify even sub-nanometer defects with concentrations as low as less than a part per million, and it can provide information on the type of defect and its characteristic size.
PALS has found application in testing systems as diverse as turbines, polymers, semiconducting devices, biomimetic systems, zeolites, and solar cells.
However, PALS mainly suffers of two main limitations:
1) The available positron energy is limited to a few keV, only allowing for surface studies and,
2) The positron bunch duration is relatively long, strongly affecting the resolution of the technique.
Exploiting recent advances in laser-plasma particle acceleration, it is proposed here to develop a novel laser-driven source of MeV-scale positron beams that will allow, for the first time, volumetric and high-resolution scanning of bulk materials. The short duration of the laser-driven positron beams (~10s of ps) will also allow for a step-change improvement in the resolution of this technique.
Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) is arguably one of the most successful techniques for the non-invasive inspection of materials and identification of small-scale defects. PALS presents several unique advantages compared to other inspection techniques: it works virtually with any type of material (crystalline and amorphous, organic and inorganic, biotic and abiotic), it can identify even sub-nanometer defects with concentrations as low as less than a part per million, and it can provide information on the type of defect and its characteristic size.
PALS has found application in testing systems as diverse as turbines, polymers, semiconducting devices, biomimetic systems, zeolites, and solar cells.
However, PALS mainly suffers of two main limitations:
1) The available positron energy is limited to a few keV, only allowing for surface studies and,
2) The positron bunch duration is relatively long, strongly affecting the resolution of the technique.
Exploiting recent advances in laser-plasma particle acceleration, it is proposed here to develop a novel laser-driven source of MeV-scale positron beams that will allow, for the first time, volumetric and high-resolution scanning of bulk materials. The short duration of the laser-driven positron beams (~10s of ps) will also allow for a step-change improvement in the resolution of this technique.
Organisations
- Queen's University Belfast (Lead Research Organisation)
- National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) (Collaboration)
- ELI Attosecond Light Pulse Source (Collaboration)
- Deutsches Electronen-Synchrotron (DESY) (Collaboration)
- ELI Beamlines (Collaboration)
- Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) (Collaboration)
- European XFEL (Collaboration)
- QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- ELI HU Nonprofit Kft az (Project Partner)
Publications
Sarri G
(2022)
Plasma-based positron sources at EuPRAXIA
in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Salgado F
(2021)
Single particle detection system for strong-field QED experiments
in New Journal of Physics
Cavanagh N
(2023)
Experimental characterization of a single-shot spectrometer for high-flux, GeV-scale gamma-ray beams
in Physical Review Research
Audet T
(2021)
Ultrashort, MeV-scale laser-plasma positron source for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy
in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
| Description | while the work is still ongoing (grant finishing in September 2023), we have developed a novel source of positrons for material characterisation, which will be implemented in a national facility (EPAC at RAL) and in an international facility (EuPRAXIA) |
| Exploitation Route | this novel source of positrons for material characterisation will be implemented in a national facility (EPAC at RAL) and in an international facility (EuPRAXIA), both designed for user access from academia and the private sector |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Electronics,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Description | Inclusion of large-scale project in the ESFRI roadmap |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Inclusion of large-scale project in the ESFRI roadmap |
| URL | https://www.esfri.eu/latest-esfri-news/new-ris-roadmap-2021 |
| Description | member of the scientific advisory committee for EuAPS |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | member of the scientific advisory committee for the Extreme Light Infrastructure - BeamLines |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | The new intensity frontier: exploring quantum electrodynamic plasmas |
| Amount | £375,452 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V049186/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2021 |
| End | 05/2025 |
| Description | DESY: novel plasma accelerators |
| Organisation | Deutsches Electronen-Synchrotron (DESY) |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Currently collaborating on joint experiments (some published) and within the EuPRAXIA consortium for the next-generation of compact particle accelerators |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborative experiments |
| Impact | publications and on-going preparation of european large-scale funding proposals |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | ELI-ALPS: collaborative experiments |
| Organisation | ELI Attosecond Light Pulse Source |
| Country | Hungary |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | collaborative research published and preparation of experiments at ELI-ALPS |
| Collaborator Contribution | collaborative research published and preparation of experiments at ELI-ALPS |
| Impact | https://journals.aps.org/prab/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.24.073402 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | ELI-Beamlines: collaborative experiments |
| Organisation | ELI Beamlines |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | ELI-Beamlines is project partners in a recently awarded EPSRC grant (EP/V049186/1 with related proposal: EP/V049461/1). Collaborative experiments currently being designed |
| Collaborator Contribution | ELI-Beamlines is project partners in a recently awarded EPSRC grant (EP/V049186/1 with related proposal: EP/V049461/1). Collaborative experiments currently being designed |
| Impact | ELI-Beamlines is project partners in a recently awarded EPSRC grant (EP/V049186/1 with related proposal: EP/V049461/1). Collaborative experiments currently being designed |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | ELI-NP: collaborative experiments |
| Organisation | Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Commissioning experiments of the facility carried out and further experiments being planned |
| Collaborator Contribution | Commissioning experiments of the facility carried out and further experiments being planned |
| Impact | Commissioning experiments of the facility carried out and further experiments being planned |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | EuPRAXIA collaboration |
| Organisation | Deutsches Electronen-Synchrotron (DESY) |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | International collaboration for the EuPRAXIA project formalised by Consortium Agreement. It has already resulted in the publication of the Conceptual Design Report for the machine (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjst/e2020-000127-8) and inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap |
| Collaborator Contribution | publication of the Conceptual Design Report for the machine (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjst/e2020-000127-8) and inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap |
| Impact | publication of the Conceptual Design Report for the machine (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjst/e2020-000127-8) and inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Facility access: Apollon laser facility |
| Organisation | National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) |
| Department | Laboratory for the user of intense lasers (LULI) |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Facility access for a 4-week experiment and funding secured from ARIES |
| Collaborator Contribution | Facility access for a 4-week experiment and funding secured from ARIES |
| Impact | Facility access for a 4-week experiment and funding secured from ARIES |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | ICL collaboration |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | collaborative experiments |
| Collaborator Contribution | collaborative experiments |
| Impact | publication of high profile articles in world-leading journals |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | LUXE: collaboration with DESY and EuXFEL |
| Organisation | Deutsches Electronen-Synchrotron (DESY) |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration to design experiments at the EuXFEL. Current letter of intent published: (https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.00860) and conceptual design report published (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00249-z). CD0 status granted by DESY and current submission to obtain CD1 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborative work |
| Impact | Publication of a letter of intent: (https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.00860). Current preparation of other two scientific articles. Conceptual design report published (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00249-z). CD0 status granted by DESY and current submission to obtain CD1 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | LUXE: collaboration with DESY and EuXFEL |
| Organisation | European XFEL |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration to design experiments at the EuXFEL. Current letter of intent published: (https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.00860) and conceptual design report published (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00249-z). CD0 status granted by DESY and current submission to obtain CD1 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborative work |
| Impact | Publication of a letter of intent: (https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.00860). Current preparation of other two scientific articles. Conceptual design report published (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00249-z). CD0 status granted by DESY and current submission to obtain CD1 |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | collabroation with the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research |
| Organisation | Queen's University Belfast |
| Department | Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | collaborative experiments in ultra-high dose-rate irradiation of cells for cancer therapy. First paper published (https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ac5bfd) and data analysis underway towards preparation of a further scientific paper. Current preparation of a large-scale proposal to a funding agency |
| Collaborator Contribution | collaborative experiments in ultra-high dose-rate irradiation of cells for cancer therapy. First paper published (https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ac5bfd) and data analysis underway towards preparation of a further scientific paper. Current preparation of a large-scale proposal to a funding agency |
| Impact | collaborative experiments in ultra-high dose-rate irradiation of cells for cancer therapy. First paper published (https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ac5bfd) and data analysis underway towards preparation of a further scientific paper. Current preparation of a large-scale proposal to a funding agency |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Article in the Wall Street Journal |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Article in the Wall Street Journal |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Interview for New Scientist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview for New Scientist (published here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2308243-deepmind-uses-ai-to-control-plasma-inside-tokamak-fusion-reactor/) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Live interview with Al Jazeera News |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview with Al Jazeera News |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Live interview with BBC Radio Foyle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview with BBC Radio Foyle |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Live interview with BBC Radio Ulster |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview with BBC Radio Ulster |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | live interview with BBC News Hour |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview with BBC Radio Foyle |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | popular science article in the New Scientist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | popular science article in the New Scientist |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |