Nicolai Agapov

Progress in the design and study of a superferric dipole magnet for the GSI fast-pulsed synchrotron SIS100

New experimental results from the investigation of a superferric window frame type dipole magnet with the operating parameters: B=2T, dB/dt=4T/s and pulse repetition rate f=1Hz are presented. The magnet SC coil is made from a hollow multifilamentary NbTi cable, cooled with two-phase helium flow. Special attention is devoted to minimization of AC power losses in the magnet to the specified value of 13W/m. The value of 9W/m has been obtained for a model magnet with the yoke at T=50K. Different possibilities were investigated to reduce the losses in the case of a cold iron yoke (T=4.5K). Other problems, connected with the magnetic field quality, mechanical and cryogenic stability of the magnet under SIS100 operating conditions are also discussed.

Superconducting synchrotron project for hadron therapy

The project of a superconducting medical synchrotron for carbon therapy in the ion energy range from 140 to 400 MeV/n is discussed in this paper. This project is aimed at developing and building a medical synchrotron on the basis of superconducting technologies at JINR under the construction of the Nuclotron accelerator complex. A linear accelerator with alternating phase focusing is proposed for injecting carbon ion into the synchrotron, while it is planned to use a superconducting gantry weighing about 150 t for delivering radiation treatment to patients from all directions.

CRYOGENICS FOR THE FUTURE ACCELERATOR COMPLEX NICA AT JINR

The NICA cryogenics will be based on the modernized liquid helium plant that was b uilt in the early 90’s for the superconducting synchrotron known as the Nuclotron. The main goals of the modernization are: increasing of the total refrigerator capacity from 4000 W to 8000 W at 4.5 K, making a new distribution system of liquid helium, and ensuring the shortest possible cool down time. These goals will be achieved by means of an additional 1000 l/hour helium liquefier and “satellite” refrigerators located near the accelerator rings. This report describes the design choices of the NICA, demonstrates helium flow diagrams with major new components and briefly informs of the liquid nitrogen system that will be used for shield cooling at 77 K and at the first stage of cooling down of three accelerator rings with the total length of about 1 km and “cold” mass of 290 tons.

Improving homogeneity of the magnetic field by a high-temperature superconducting shield

The shielding opportunity of the magnetic field perpendicular component by the high-temperature superconducting tape (HTS) is shown experimentally for the first time. The tapes are laid closely to each other with a shift of pieces from layer to layer equal to a half of the tape width at the experimental set-up. This multilayer cylindrical structure inserted into the solenoid is similar to the unclosed shield from a uniform piece of the superconducting foil with the corresponding current-carrying capacity. It has been found that the maximum shielding field is proportional to the number of layers and a half of the full magnetization field of one tape for the regular multilayer structure of the HTS segments. The obtained results are necessary to construct systems with the high magnetic field homogeneity, in particular, for the electron cooling system of charged particle beams at the new accelerator complex which is being developed at JINR in Dubna, Russia.

A.C. energy losses of Nb-Ti multifilamentary superconductors for the magnets of the nuclotron

The performances of the installation used to measure a.c. energy losses of short superconducting samples in an external pulsed magnetic field are given. The calorimetric method at 4.2 K is used. The measurable range of losses is from 10 up to 1000 mW. The results of loss measurements of superconducting wires and tubular cables with a various diameter of superconducting filaments and twist length are presented. The experimental values of hysteresis and eddy current losses are compared with the calculated ones. The influence of the Nb barrier and solid-state diffusion on the loss values is investigated.

Superconducting shield for solenoid of electron cooling system

Ensuring the high homogeneity of a magnetic field in the straight solenoid of an electron cooling system is a very important task. In the electron cooling system of the collider in the NICA project, it is planned to use superconducting solenoids for the generation of a longitudinal magnetic field. Using of the superconducting shield is proposed to achieve the required homogeneity of the magnetic field in the cooling section. This article discusses the design of the superconducting shield and presents experimental and numerical studies into the homogeneity of the magnetic field in solenoids with the superconducting shield.

Results of the Nuclotron-M project

The main goal of the Nuclotron-M project, approved in 2007, was formulated as follows: modernization of the main accelerator systems for reliable and safe operation of the Nuclotron as a part of the accelerator facility NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility) being constructed at JINR. Demonstration of heavy-ion beam acceleration (with atomic mass number higher than 100) as well as safe and stable operation of the main superconducting system operation at a magnetic field of up to 2 T had been defined as criteria of successful project fulfillment. Another very important issue is performance of stable, long-term beam runs and increase of the accelerated beam intensity. All the main goals of the Nuclotron-M project had been successfully achieved by the end of 2010. In this report we give an overview of the project realization chronology and present the main experimental results obtained at LHEP Nuclotron accelerator facility in the period from 2007 to early 2011.

Progress in development of Nuclotron accelerator complex

The Nuclotron superconducting synchrotron was constructed in 1987–1992 [1]; it is the world’s first synchrotron based on fast cycling “window frame” electromagnets with a superconducting coil. For a design field of dipole magnets of 2 T, the magnetic rigidity is 45 T m, which corresponds to the energy of heavy nuclei (for example, gold) of 4.5 GeV/nucleon. The Nuclotron accelerator complex is currently being upgraded (the Nuclotron-M project); this upgrade is considered a key part of the first stage of fulfilling the new Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) project: the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility and Multi-Purpose Detector (NICA/MPD). The most important task of this new project is the preparation of basic Nuclotron systems for its reliable operation as part of the NICA accelerator complex. Basic results of activity on the project, which started in 2007, are presented and the results of the last Nuclotron runs are analyzed.

Booster synchrotron of NICA accelerator complex

NICA is a new accelerator complex being constructed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research; the main task of this complex is to perform collider experiments for ion beams up to uranium with energies of up to 3.5 × 3.5 GeV/nucleon. This complex includes an electron string ion source, a 6 MeV/nucleon linear accelerator, a booster, the Nuclotron, and a collider with an average luminosity of 1027 cm2 s−1. The main tasks of the booster are to accumulate up to 4 × 109 197Au32+ ions, to accelerate to 600 MeV/nucleon (sufficient enough energy for completely stripping nuclei), to reduce the requirements of vacuum conditions for the Nuclotron, and to form the necessary beam emittance using an electron cooling system. The specific features of the NICA booster and the requirements for the basic systems of the synchrotron and their parameters are presented in this paper.

A PROPOSAL OF POLARIZED 3HE++ ION SOURCE WITH PENNING IONIZER FOR JINR

A polarized 3He++ beam can be accelerated in NUCLOTRON. This gives an opportunity to study the feasibility of 3He++ production by ionization of polarized 3He gas in the Penning ionizer using of an ion trap and pulse extraction. The 3He gas can be polarized by the technique of Rb-3He spin exchange optical pumping. The expected intensity of polarized (up to 50%) 3He++ ions can be 5 x 10l1 electronic charge/pulse.