A. Siemko

Results from the OSQAR photon-regeneration experiment : No light shining through a wall

A new method to amplify the photon-axion conversions in a magnetic field is proposed using a buffer gas at a specific pressure in a photon-regeneration experiment. As a first result, new bounds for mass and coupling constant for laboratory experiments aiming to detect any hypothetical scalars and pseudoscalars, which can couple to photons were obtained, excluding with 95% confidence level, the recently withdrawn PVLAS result.

Twin rotating coils for cold magnetic measurements of 15 m long LHC dipoles

We describe here a new harmonic coil system for the field measurement of the superconducting, twin aperture LHC dipoles and the associated corrector magnets. Besides field measurements the system can be used as an antenna to localize the quench origin. The main component is a 16 m long rotating shaft, made up of 13 ceramic segments, each carrying two tangential coils plus a central radial coil, all working in parallel. The segments are connected with flexible Ti-alloy bellows, allowing the piecewise straight shaft to follow the curvature of the dipole while maintaining high torsional rigidity. At each interconnection the structure is supported by rollers and ball bearings, necessary for the axial movement for installation and for the rotation of the coil during measurement. Two such shafts are simultaneously driven by a twin-rotating unit, thus measuring both apertures of a dipole at the same time. This arrangement allows very short measurement times (typically 10 s) and is essential to perform cold magnetic measurements of all dipoles. The coil surface and direction are calibrated using a reference dipole. In this paper we describe the twin rotating coil system and its calibration facility, and we give the typical resolution and accuracy achieved with the first commissioned unit.

Test Results of LARP Nb3Sn Quadrupole Magnets Using a Shell-based Support Structure (TQS)

Amongst the magnet development program of a large-aperture Nb3Sn superconducting quadrupole for the Large Hadron Collider luminosity upgrade, six quadrupole magnets were built and tested using a shell based key and bladder technology (TQS). The 1 m long 90 mm aperture magnets are part of the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) aimed at demonstrating Nb3Sn technology by the year 2009, of a 3.6 m long magnet capable of achieving 200 T/m. In support of the LARP program the TQS magnets were tested at three different laboratories, LBNL, FNAL and CERN and while at CERN a technology-transfer and a four days magnet disassembly and reassembly were included. This paper summarizes the fabrication, assembly, cool-down and test results of the six magnets and compares measurements with design expectations.

Quench location in the superconducting model magnets for the LHC by means of pick-up coils

High field superconducting dipole magnets were manufactured in industry or at CERN as model magnets for the future Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator and tested in superfluid helium. The pick-up coil method is now in use to precisely locate the origin of training quenches and to monitor the propagation of the transition. The improvements made on this diagnostic method is reviewed. This experience allows the location of the onset of the quenches both axially and in the cross section of the winding even for magnets equipped with a minimum of voltage taps on the winding. The location of training quenches are now understood to be related to the structure of the superconducting coil.<<ETX>>

Test results on the long models and full scale prototypes of the second generation LHC arc dipoles

With the test of the first full scale prototype in June-July 1998, the R&D on the long superconducting dipoles based on the LHC design of 1993-95 has come to an end. This second generation of long magnets has a 56 mm coil aperture, is wound with 15 mm wide cable arranged in a 5 coil block layout. The series includes four 10 m long model dipoles, whose coils have been wound and collared in industry and the cold mass assembled and cryostated at CERN, as well as one 15 m long dipole prototype, manufactured totally in industry in the framework of a CERN-INFN collaboration for the LHC. After a brief description of particular features of the design and of the manufacturing, test results are reported and compared with the expectations. One magnet reached the record field for long model dipoles of 9.8 T but results have not been well reproducible from magnet to magnet. Guidelines for modifications that will appear in the next generation of long magnets, based on a six block coil design, are indicated in the conclusions.

Modeling of Quench Limit for Steady State Heat Deposits in LHC Magnets

A quench, the transition of a conductor from the superconducting to the normal conducting state, occurs irreversibly in the accelerator magnets if one of the three parameters: temperature, magnetic field or current density exceeds a critical value. Energy deposited in the superconductor by the particle beams provokes quenches detrimental for the accelerator operation. In particular if particles impacting on the vacuum chamber and their secondary showers depose energy in the magnet coils. The large hadron collider (LHC) nominal beam intensity is 3.2 ldr 1014 protons. A quench occurs if a fraction of the order of 107 protons per second is lost locally. A network model is used to simulate the thermodynamic behavior of the magnets. The heat flow in the network model was validated with measurements performed in the CERN magnet test facility. A steady state heat flow was introduced in the coil by using the quench heaters implemented in the LHC magnets. The value of the heat source current is determined by the network model and the magnet coil current which is required to quench the coil is predicted accordantly. The measured and predicted value comparison is regarded as a sensitive test of the method.

Performance of the LHC final design full scale superconducting dipole prototypes

Within the LHC magnet program, a series of six, final design, full-scale superconducting dipole prototypes are presently being built in industry and tested at CERN. The main features of these magnets are: two-in-one structure, 56 mm aperture, six-block two layer coils wound from 15.1 mm wide graded NbTi cables, and all-polyimide insulation. This paper reviews the main test results of magnets tested at 4.2 K and 1.8 K. The results of the quench training, conductor performance, magnet protection, sensitivity to ramp rate and field quality are presented and discussed in terms of the design parameters and the aims of the full scale dipole prototype program.

Stability Analysis of the LHC Cables for Transient Heat Depositions

The commissioning and the exploitation of the LHC require a good knowledge of the stability margins of the superconducting magnets with respect to beam induced heat depositions. Previous studies showed that simple numerical models are suitable to carry out stability calculations of multi-strands cables, and highlighted the relevance of the heat transfer model with the surrounding helium. In this paper we present a systematic scan of the stability margin of all types of LHC cables working at 1.9 K against transient heat depositions. We specifically discuss the dependence of the stability margin on the parameters of the model, which provide an estimate of the uncertainty of the values quoted. The stability margin calculations have been performed using a zero-dimensional (0-D) numerical model, and a cooling model taking into account the relevant helium phases which may appear during a stability experiment: it includes Kapitza thermal resistance in superfluid He, boundary layer formation and heat transfer in He I, and considers the transition from nucleating boiling to film boiling during He gas formation.

Statistical diagnosis method of conductor motions in superconducting magnets to predict their quench performance

Premature training quenches are usually caused by the transient energy released within the magnet coil as it is energised. Two distinct varieties of disturbances exist. They are thought to be electrical and mechanical in origin. The first type of disturbance comes from nonuniform current distribution in superconducting cables whereas the second one usually originates from conductor motions or micro-fractures of insulating materials under the action of Lorentz forces. All of these mechanical events produce in general a rapid variation of the voltages in the so-called quench antennas and across the magnet coil, called spikes. A statistical method to treat the spatial localisation and the time occurrence of spikes is presented. It allows identification of the mechanical weak points in the magnet without need to increase the current to provoke a quench. The prediction of the quench level from detailed analysis of the spike statistics can be expected.

Predicting the Quench Behavior of the LHC Dipoles During Commissioning

The LHC hardware commissioning has shown a considerable difference of performance between the three dipole manufacturers (Firm1, Firm2 and Firm3). More than 90% of the quenches occurred in the dipoles made by Firm3, less than 10% in Firm2, and no one in Firm1. In this paper we propose a Monte-Carlo method based on the quench performance data of individual magnets that accounts for this behavior. The model relies on the data of the virgin training and on correlations with quench after a thermal cycle as measured on a sample of magnets. This model is used to derive estimates of the training behavior in the machine. A comparison with data gathered during the hardware commissioning shows that the model works well for low fields, and that, starting from fields corresponding to an energy of about 6.3 TeV, a slower training in the magnets of one manufacturer is observed.