Reviews of Accelerator Science and Technology

Considerable progress has been achieved during the last few decades in the various fields of applied superconductivity, while the related low temperature technology has reached a high level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are so far the most successful applications, with tens of thousands of units worldwide, but high potential can also be recognized in the energy sector, with high energy cables, transformers, motors, generators for wind turbines, fault current limiters and devices for magnetic energy storage. A large number of magnet and cable prototypes have been constructed, showing in all cases high reliability. Large projects involving the construction of magnets, solenoids as well as dipoles and quadrupoles are described in the present book. A very large project, the LHC, is currently in operation, demonstrating that superconductivity is a reliable technology, even in a device of unprecedented high complexity. A project of similar complexity is ITER, a fusion device that is presently under construction. This article starts with a brief historical introduction to superconductivity as a phenomenon, and some fundamental properties necessary for the understanding of the technical behavior of superconductors are described. The introduction of superconductivity in the industrial cycle faces many challenges, first for the properties of the base elements, e.g. the wires, tapes and thin films, then for the various applied devices, where a number of new difficulties had to be resolved. A variety of industrial applications in energy, medicine and communications are briefly presented, showing how superconductivity is now entering the market.

Superconductivity is the technology that enabled the construction of the most recent generation of high-energy particle accelerators, the largest scientific instruments ever built. In this review we trace the evolution of superconducting materials for particle accelerator magnets, from the first steps in the late 1960s, through the rise and glory of Nb–Ti in the 1970s, till the 2010s, and the promises of Nb₃Sn for the 2020s. We conclude with a perspective on the opportunities for high-temperature superconductors (HTSs). Many such reviews have been written in the past, as witnessed by the long list of references provided. In this review we put particular emphasis on the practical aspects of wire and tape manufacturing, cabling, engineering performance, and potential for use in accelerator magnets, while leaving in the background matters such as the physics of superconductivity and fundamental material issues.

Superconductivity has been the most influential technology in the field of accelerators in the last 30 years. Since the commissioning of the Tevatron, which demonstrated the use and operability of superconductivity on a large scale, superconducting magnets and rf cavities have been at the heart of all new large accelerators. Superconducting magnets have been the invariable choice for large colliders, as well as cyclotrons and large synchrotrons. In spite of the long history of success, superconductivity remains a difficult technology, requires adequate R&D and suitable preparation, and has a relatively high cost. Hence, it is not surprising that the development has also been marked by a few setbacks. This article is a review of the main superconducting accelerator magnet projects; it highlights the main characteristics and main achievements, and gives a perspective on the development of superconducting magnets for the future generation of very high energy colliders.

The application of superconductivity to the large magnets required for charged particle spectroscopy in high energy physics experiments, and for plasma containment in fusion experiments, has resulted in a spectacular leap in the efficiency of these devices. First applied in the late 1960s, the technology has progressed to meet increasingly demanding goals of the experiments and has stimulated important development of the associated conductors. In this article we describe briefly the basic requirements that determine the design of the different types of magnets. This is followed by descriptions of examples of representative working and projected magnets, as well as essential auxiliary equipment. An overview is provided of ongoing development that may impact on the design of future magnets.

An overview of fundamentals of superconductors under radio-frequency electromagnetic fields in particle accelerators is given, with emphasis on intrinsic physics and materials mechanisms which limit the performance of the superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) resonator cavities. Multiscale mechanisms which control the surface resistance and the quality factor of the SRF cavities at low and high rf fields are discussed. We also discuss possible ways of pushing the limit of the SRF performance by materials impurities and multilayer nanostructuring which may open up opportunities of using materials other than Nb to significantly increase the maximum accelerating fields and improve the performance of the SRF cavities operating at 4.2 K.

This article addresses the physics and engineering of the superconducting radio-frequency systems for high-β particle accelerators. I consider different geometries for cavities, discuss criteria for optimization, and options for higher-order mode damping. In reviewing recent progress in the field, SRF systems are classified according to the functions they perform. These systems are fundamental RF accelerating systems, deflecting/crab cavities, harmonic RF systems, and SRF photoemission electron guns.

High-power proton and ion linac projects based on superconducting accelerating cavities are driving a worldwide effort to develop and build superconducting cavities for beta < 1. Laboratories and institutions building quarter-wave, half-wave and single- or multi-spoke cavities continue to advance the state of the art for this class of cavities, and the common notion that low-beta SRF cavities fill a need in niche applications and have low performance is clearly no longer valid. This article reviews recent developments and results for SC cavity performance for cavities with beta up to approximately 0.5. The considerable ongoing effort on reduced beta elliptical cell cavities is not discussed. An overview of associated subsystems required to operate low-beta cavities, including rf power couplers and fast and slow tuners, is presented.

Superconducting devices such as magnets and cavities are key components in the accelerator field for increasing the beam energy and intensity, and at the same time making the system compact and saving on power consumption in operation. An effective cryogenic system is required to cool and keep the superconducting devices in the superconducting state stably and economically. The helium refrigeration system for application to accelerators will be discussed in this review article. The concept of two cooling modes — the liquefier and refrigerator modes — will be discussed in detail because of its importance for realizing efficient cooling and stable operation of the system. As an example of the practical cryogenic system, the TRISTAN cryogenic system of KEK Laboratory will be treated in detail and the main components of the cryogenic system, including the high-performance multichannel transfer line and liquid nitrogen circulation system at 80 K, will also be discussed. In addition, we will discuss the operation of the cryogenic system, including the quench control and safety of the system. The satellite refrigeration system will be discussed because of its potential for wide application in medium-size accelerators and in industry.

Superconductivity is playing an increasingly important role in advanced medical technologies. Compact superconducting cyclotrons are emerging as powerful tools for external beam therapy with protons and carbon ions, and offer advantages of cost and size reduction in isotope production as well. Superconducting magnets in isocentric gantries reduce their size and weight to practical proportions. In diagnostic imaging, superconducting magnets have been crucial for the successful clinical implementation of magnetic resonance imaging. This article introduces each of those areas and describes the role which superconductivity is playing in them.

Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerator technology has basically existed for 50 years. It took about 20 years to conduct basic R&D and prototyping at universities and international institutes before the first superconducting accelerators were built, with industry supplying complete accelerator cavities. In parallel, the design of large scale accelerators using SRF was done worldwide. In order to build those accelerators, industry has been involved for 30 years in building the required cavities and/or accelerator modules in time and budget. To enable industry to supply these high tech components, technology transfer was made from the laboratories in the following three regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe. As will be shown, the manufacture of the SRF cavities is normally accomplished in industry whereas the cavity testing and module assembly are not performed in industry in most cases, yet. The story of industrialization is so far a story of customized projects. Therefore a real SRF accelerator product is not yet available in this market. License agreements and technology transfer between leading SRF laboratories and industry is a powerful tool for enabling industry to manufacture SRF components or turnkey superconducting accelerator modules for other laboratories and users with few or no capabilities in SRF technology. Despite all this, the SRF accelerator market today is still a small market. The manufacture and preparation of the components require a range of specialized knowledge, as well as complex and expensive manufacturing installations like for high precision machining, electron beam welding, chemical surface preparation and class ISO4 clean room assembly. Today, the involved industry in the US and Europe comprises medium-sized companies. In Japan, some big enterprises are involved. So far, roughly 2500 SRF cavities have been built by or ordered from industry worldwide. Another substantial step might come from the International Linear Collider (ILC) project currently being designed by the international collaboration GDE ('global design effort'). If the ILC will be built, about 18,000 SRF cavities need to be manufactured worldwide within about five years. The industrialization of SRF accelerator technology is analyzed and reviewed in this article in view of the main accelerator projects of the last two to three decades.

Superconducting rf (SRF) technology is evolving rapidly, as are its applications. While there is active exploitation of what one may call the current state-of-the-practice, there is also rapid progress in expanding in several dimensions the accessible and useful parameter space. While state-of-the-art performance sometimes outpaces thorough understanding, the improving scientific understanding from active SRF research is clarifying routes to obtain optimum performance from present materials and opening avenues beyond the standard bulk niobium. The improving technical basis understanding is enabling process engineering to improve both performance confidence and reliability and also unit implementation costs. Increasing confidence in the technology enables the engineering of new creative application designs. We attempt to survey this landscape to highlight the potential for future accelerator applications.

Accelerator science and technology is inherently an integrative discipline that combines aspects of physics, computational science, electrical and mechanical engineering. As few universities offer full academic programs, the education of accelerator physicists and engineers for the future has primarily relied on a combination of on-the-job training supplemented with intensive courses at regional accelerator schools. This article describes the approaches being used to satisfy the educational curiosity of a growing number of interested physicists and engineers.

We present a historical survey of accelerator projects evolved at KEK since its foundation as the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics in 1971. Also included is a brief description of the high energy accelerator programs in Japan prior to the birth of KEK, and a short account of Shigeki Suwa and Tetsuji Nishikawa, who played crucial roles in the birth and development of KEK.