New Modeling/Data Analysis/Visualization Toolkit Speeds Simulations, Design
Particle accelerators are on the verge of transformational breakthroughs—and advances in computing power and techniques are a big part of the reason.
Long valued for their role in scientific discovery and in medical and industrial applications such as cancer treatment, food sterilization and drug development, particle accelerators, unfortunately, occupy a lot of space and carry hefty price tags. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN in France and Switzerland, for example—the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator—has a circumference of 17 miles and cost $10 billion to build. Even smaller accelerators, such as those used in medical centers for proton therapy, need large spaces to accommodate the hardware, power supplies and radiation shielding. Such treatment facilities typically fill a city block and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.
But efforts are under way to make this technology more affordable and accessible by shrinking both the size and the cost without losing the capability. One of the most exciting developments is the plasma accelerator, which uses lasers or particle beams rather than radio-frequency waves to generate the accelerating field. Researchers have already shown the potential for laser plasma acceleration to yield significantly more-compact accelerators. But further development is needed before these devices—envisioned as almost literally “tabletop” in many useful applications—make their way into everyday use.
Laser wakefield particle accelerators offer the prospect of less costly and much smaller accelerators. Using the waves created by a laser shot through plasma they “surf” particles to higher speeds (or energies). This simulation shows how a single electron rides a wave, helping researchers build and refine these new machines. (Courtesy: Jean-Luc Vay, Berkeley Lab)
This is where advanced visualization tools and supercomputers such as NERSC’s Edison and Cori systems come in.
“To take full advantage of the societal benefits of particle accelerators, game-changing improvements are needed in the size and cost of accelerators, and plasma-based particle accelerators stand apart in their potential for these improvements,” said Jean-Luc Vay, a senior physicist in Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator Technology and Applied Physics Division (ATAP).
Vay is leading a particle accelerator modeling project as part of the NESAP program at Berkeley Lab’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) and is the principal investigator on one of the new exascale computing projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). “Turning this from a promising technology into a mainstream scientific tool depends critically on large-scale, high-performance, high-fidelity modeling of complex processes that develop over a wide range of space and time scales,” he said.
Learn more: The Incredible Shrinking Particle Accelerator
The Latest on: Particle Accelerator
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Particle Accelerator” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Particle Accelerator
- First bison babies of year born at Fermilab: ‘Calving season is the most rewarding time of the year’on April 26, 2024 at 5:20 pm
Two bison were born Friday at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia. The facility's 30-acre pasture has long been home to the grazing mammals.
- Baby news: Fermilab welcomes two bison calveson April 26, 2024 at 1:13 pm
Calving season commenced Friday at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory with the birth of two baby bison, the first of 20 births expected during the season which concludes in June. Fermilab’s ...
- IceCube researchers detect a rare type of particle sent from powerful astronomical objectson April 25, 2024 at 8:28 am
The tau neutrino, one type of particularly energetic neutrino, has eluded IceCube's detectors on the South Pole – until now.
- Beta-decay measurements in mirror nuclei pin down the weak nuclear forceon April 22, 2024 at 7:36 am
The Standard Model of Particle Physics is scientists' best understanding of the forces that describe how subatomic particles interact. The Standard Model encompasses four forces: the strong nuclear ...
- Past 'That Seemed Lost Forever' Revealed As 200-Year-Old Photos Revivedon April 19, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Researchers have developed a technique that can retrieve images hidden in degraded daguerreotypes—an early form of photography.
- Scientists are one step closer to knowing the mass of ghostly neutrinos — possibly paving the way to new physicson April 19, 2024 at 2:00 am
By precisely measuring the mass of neutrinos — ghostly particles that stream through your body by the billions each second — physicists could find some glaring holes in the Standard Model of particle ...
- Smoother surfaces make for better acceleratorson April 18, 2024 at 1:03 pm
With every new particle accelerator built for research, scientists have an opportunity to push the limits of discovery. But this is only true if new particle accelerators deliver the desired ...
- Symmetry’s guide to AI in particle physics and astrophysicson April 17, 2024 at 6:01 am
Symmetry will explore the ways scientists are using artificial intelligence to advance particle physics and astrophysics—in a series of articles written and illustrated entirely by humans.
- SURF glides to 800Gbps transmission on existing fibre through Nokiaon April 15, 2024 at 11:32 pm
Nokia and Dutch research organisation SURF reach 800Gbps transmission over 1,648km existing fibre link to prepare for upgrade to connect to research facilities at world’s leading particle accelerator.
via Bing News