Broadband Electromagnetic Characterization of Materials for Accelerator Components

Electromagnetic (EM) characterization of materials up to high frequencies is a major requirement for the correct modeling of many accelerator components: collimators, kickers, high order modes damping devices for accelerating cavities. In this scenario, the coaxial line method has gained much importance compared to other methods because of its applicability in a wide range of frequencies. In this paper we describe a new coaxial line method that allows using only one measurement setup to characterize the material in a range of frequency from few MHz up to several GHz. A coaxial cable fed at one side is filled with the material under test and closed on a known load on the other side. The properties of the material are obtained from the measured reflection coefficient by using it as input for a transmission line (TL) model or for 3D EM simulations, which describe the measurements setup. We have applied this method to characterize samples of SiC (Silicon Carbide) which could be used for LHC collimators and for CLIC accelerating structures and NiZn ferrite used for kicker magnets.

Electromagnetic Simulation of CERN Accelerator Components and Experimental Applications

Carlo Zannini

Wakes and impedances of single accelerator elements can be obtained by means of theoretical calculation, electromagnetic (EM) simulations or bench measurements. Since theoretical calculations apply only to simple structures and bench measurements have some intrinsic limitations, EM simulations can be used as a reliable tool to determine wakes and impedances. This thesis will focus on the use of time domain 3D CST Particle Studio EM simulations to calculate wakes and/or impedances. First, the results of the EM simulations are compared with the known analytical solutions and other codes. In this exercise, the driving and the detuning terms of the wakes/impedances, in the transverse plane, are disentangled for both symmetric and asymmetric geometries. The sensitivity of the simulations results to the numerical parameters is discussed, as well as the limits of validity of the wake formalism and its extension to the nonlinear regime. Using the CST Wakefield Solver, the SPS kicker impedance contribution is then estimated. The simulation model was improved step by step, and successfully benchmarked with existing and new theoretical models, giving confidence in the numerical results and allowing a better understanding of the EM problems. In the case of the resistive wall impedance of simple chamber geometries a handy theoretical model has been proposed. In order to calculate the resistive wall impedance of a round chamber, a theoretical approach based on the transmission line (TL) theory, is demonstrated to be valid and practical to use. By means of appropriate form factors the method is then extended to rectangular or elliptical chambers. Moreover the method was successfully benchmarked with the most recent codes based on the field matching technique developed at CERN and was used to construct the SPS wall impedance model. For more complicated geometries (asymmetries, small inserts, holes etc.), a theoretical estimation without involving EM simulation becomes unworkable. An example of interest is the LHC beam-screen, for which CST 3D simulations were used to estimate the impedance. In order to allow the simulator to cover the whole frequency range of interest (few KHz to several tens of MHz) a novel scaling technique was developed and applied. Where possible, the EM models developed throughout this thesis were also successfully benchmarked with bench measurements (wire methods) and observations with beam. On the specific subject of bench measurements, a numerical investigation of coaxial wire measurements has been also presented. Finally, in order to verify the adopted EM models of the materials both in theoretical calculations and 3D simulations, an experimental setup for measuring EM properties (permittivity and permeability) of materials has been presented. The method is based on fitting the measured reflection transmission coefficients through a coaxial line filled with the material to be probed, with the outcome of EM simulations or theoretical models. It was successfully applied for measuring NiZn ferrites and dielectric material (e.g. SiC).

EPFL2013

Monte Carlo Modeling of Crystal Channeling at High Energies

Philippe Jean Schoofs

Charged particles entering a crystal close to some preferred direction can be trapped in the electromagnetic potential well existing between consecutive planes or strings of atoms. This channeling effect can be used to extract beam particles if the crystal is bent beforehand. Crystal channeling is becoming a reliable and efficient technique for collimating beams and removing halo particles. At the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the installation of silicon crystals in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is under scrutiny by the UA9 collaboration with the goal of investigating if they are a viable option for the collimation system upgrade. This thesis describes a new Monte Carlo model of planar channeling which has been developed from scratch in order to be implemented in the FLUKA code simulating particle transport and interactions. Crystal channels are described through the concept of continuous potential taking into account thermal motion of the lattice atoms and using Moliere screening function. The energy of the particle transverse motion determines whether or not it is trapped between the crystal planes while single Coulomb scattering on lattice atoms can lead to dechanneling. The volume capture and reflection applying to quasi-channeled particles are also modeled. Analogously to dechanneling, single scattering is used to determine the occurrence of volume capture. The parameters of the crystals, such as torsion or miscut, are described as well. For channeled particles, the suppression of electromagnetic and nuclear collisions is implemented. It is stronger for particles oscillating close to the center of the channel and is crucial for a correct evaluation of the rate of dechanneling without having recourse to the use of a macroscopic dechanneling length. The UA9-H8 experiment conducted at CERN aims at investigating new crystal physics as well as characterizing crystals that can be of interest in view of the implementation of crystal collimation at CERN, including in the LHC. This experiment uses silicon strip detectors situated on both sides of the crystal. Putting together upstream and downstream tracks in coincidence and matching at an identical fitted location on the crystal, it yields information about the deflections given to the beam population. Several runs from the UA9-H8 experiment are analyzed and compared to the model results. Channeling and dechanneling rates, as well as angular distributions at crystal exit are shown to be in a very encouraging agreement both for strip and quasi-mosaic crystals.

EPFL2014

Mitigation of electromagnetic field radiated by PLC systems in indoor environment

Emmanuel Marthe

Power line communication (PLC) is a well-known technique for data transmission over low-voltage power lines. The PLC signals have frequency bandwidth of about 1-30 MHz and they may cause electromagnetic interferences with services operating in the same frequency range. The regulation of electromagnetic radiation from PLC signals is currently subject of investigation in various international standardization bodies. This paper proposes a technique aiming at reducing the electromagnetic field radiated by indoor PLC signals, while not affecting the PLC signal itself. The basic idea is to take advantage of the additional ground conductor and inject a signal similar to the PLC signal into the ground-neutral line, but with a reversed phase. As a result, both the overall antenna mode- and transmission line mode-currents are significantly reduced, as well as the radiated electromagnetic fields. Experimental measurements are also carried out in a building and it is shown that the proposed technique allows for a significant reduction (up to 20 dB) of the PLC electromagnetic radiation in the considered frequency range (1-30 MHz)