Beamline design for multipurpose muon beams at CSNS EMuS

A new muon beam facility,called the Experimental Muon Source(EMuS),was proposed for construction at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).The design of the complex muon beamlines for the EMuS baseline scheme,which is based on superconducting solenoids,superferric dipoles and room-temperature magnets,is presented herein.Various muon beams,including surface muons,decay muons and low energy muons,have been developed for multipurpose applications.The optics design and simulation results of the trunk beamline and branch beamlines are presented.With a proton beam power of 25 kW at a standalone target station that consists of a conical graphite target and high-field superconducting solenoids,the muon beam intensity in the trunk beamline varies from 10^(7)/s for surface muons to 10^(10)/s for high-momentum decay muons.And at the endstations,these values vary from 10^(5)/s for surface muons to 10^(8)/s for decay muons.

Nondestructive technique for identifying nuclides using neutron resonance transmission analysis at CSNS Back-n

Nondestructive and noninvasive neutron assays are essential applications of neutron techniques.Neutron resonance transmission analysis(NRTA)is a powerful nondestructive method for investigating the elemental composition of an object.The back-streaming neutron line(Back-n)is a newly built time-of-flight facility at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)that provides neutrons in the eV to 300 MeV range.A feasibility study of the NRTA method for nuclide identification was conducted at the CSNS Back-n via two test experiments.The results demonstrate that it is feasible to identify different elements and isotopes in samples using the NRTA method at Back-n.This study reveals its potential future applications.

Measurement of the ^(232)Th(n,f)cross section in the 1-200 MeV range at the CSNS Back-n

The ^(232)Th(n,f)cross section is very important in basic nuclear physics and applications based on the Th/U fuel cycle.Using the time-of-flight method and a multi-cell fast-fission ionization chamber,a novel measurement of the^(232)Th(n,f)cross sec-tion relative to^(235)U in the 1–200 MeV range was performed at the China Spallation Neutron Source Back-n white neutron source(Back-n).The fission event-neutron energy spectra of^(232)Th and^(235)U fission cells were measured in the single-bunch mode.Corrected 232Th/235U fission cross-sectional ratios were obtained,and the measurement uncertainties were 2.5–3.7%for energies in the 2–20 MeV range and 3.6–6.2%for energies in the 20–200 MeV range.The^(232)Th(n,f)cross section was obtained by introducing the standard cross section of^(235)U(n,f).The results were compared with those of previous theoreti-cal calculations,measurements,and evaluations.The measured 232Th fission cross section agreed with the main evaluation results in terms of the experimental uncertainty,and 232Th fission resonances were observed in the 1–3 MeV range.The present results provide^(232)Th(n,f)cross-sectional data for the evaluation and design of Th/U cycle nuclear systems.

Topological properties of tetratomic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chains with hierarchical long-range hopping

We propose a new generalized Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with hierarchical long-range hopping based on a onedimensional tetratomic chain. The properties of the topological states and phase transition, which depend on the cointeraction of the intracell and intercell hoppings, are investigated using the phase diagram of the winding number. It is shown that topological states with large positive/negative winding numbers can readily be generated in this system. The properties of the topological states can be verified by the ring-type structures in the trajectory diagram of the complex plane. The topological phase transition is strongly related to the opening(closure) of an energy bandgap at the center(boundaries) of the Brillouin zone. Finally, the non-zero-energy edge states at the ends of the finite system are revealed and matched with the bulk–boundary correspondence.

Back-n white neutron source at CSNS and its applications

Back-streaming neutrons from the spallation target of the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)that emit through the incoming proton channel were exploited to build a white neutron beam facility(the so-called Back-n white neutron source),which was completed in March 2018.The Back-n neutron beam is very intense,at approximately 29107 n/cm2/s at 55 m from the target,and has a nominal proton beam with a power of 100 kW in the CSNS-I phase and a kinetic energy of 1.6 GeV and a thick tungsten target in multiple slices with modest moderation from the cooling water through the slices.In addition,the excellent energy spectrum spanning from 0.5 eV to 200 MeV,and a good time resolution related tothe time-of-flight measurements make it a typical white neutron source for nuclear data measurements;its overall performance is among that of the best white neutron sources in the world.Equipped with advanced spectrometers,detectors,and application utilities,the Back-n facility can serve wide applications,with a focus on neutron-induced cross-sectional measurements.This article presents an overview of the neutron beam characteristics,the experimental setups,and the ongoing applications at Backn.

Measurement of the neutron total cross section of carbon at the Back-n white neutron beam of CSNS

To verify the performance of the neutron total cross-sectional spectrometer, the neutron total cross section of carbon is initially measured in the energy range of 1 eV to 20 MeV using the time-of-flight method. The measurement is performed at the Back-n white neutron source with a 76-m time-of-flight path using the China Spallation Neutron Source. A multilayer fast fission chamber with 235U and 238U is employed as the neutron detector. The diameter and thickness of the natural graphite sample are 70 mm and 40 mm, respectively. Signal waveforms are collected using a data acquisition system. Off-line data processing was used to obtain the neutron time-of-flight spectra and transmissions. The uncertainty of the counting statistics is generally approximately 3% for each bin in the energy range of 1–20 MeV. It is determined that the results for the neutron total cross section of carbon obtained using ^235U cells are in good agreement with the results obtained using 238U cells within limits of statistical uncertainty. Moreover, the measured total cross sections show good agreement with the broadening evaluated data.

A possible scheme for the surface muon beamline at CSNS

An experimental muon source is planned for the China Spallation Neutron Source.A simplified beamline with a limited number of magnets is achieved using a FODO lattice for implementation in a future preliminary stage.The yield of the muon delivered to the experimental sample is slightly larger than 10^5 μ^+/s within the FWHM beam spot(-φ30 mm)from a thick muon target.In addition,the beam polarization is 92%and the contamination that is mainly formed by positrons is approximately a fraction of 1%.

Conceptual design and update of the 128-channel μSR prototype spectrometer based on musrSim

An experimental muon source(EMuS) will be built at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS). In phase I of CSNS, it has been decided that EMuS will provide a proton beam of 5 kW and 1.6 GeV to generate muon beams. A 128-channel muon spin rotation/relaxation/resonance(μSR) spectrometer is proposed as a prototype surface muon spectrometer in a sub-branch of EMuS. The prototype spectrometer includes a detection system, sample environment, and supporting mechanics. The current design has two rings located at the forward and backward directions of the muon spin with 64 detectors per ring. The simulation shows that the highest asymmetry of approximately 0.28 is achieved by utilizing two 10-mm-thick brass degraders. To obtain the optimal asymmetry, the two-ring structure is updated to a four-ring structure with 32 segments in each ring. An asymmetry of 0.42 is obtained through the simulation, which is higher than that of all the current μSR spectrometers in the world.

Design of the upstream decay pipe window of the long baseline neutrino facility

The beam windows of high-energy beam lines are important,and it is sometimes difficult to design because it is necessary to ensure particle propagation with minimum disturbance and fulfill mechanical requirements at the same time.The upstream decay pipe window of the long baseline neutrino facility at Fermilab has an extremely large diameter(1.8 m),with a thickness of only 1.5 mm to separate the helium atmosphere in the decay pipe and the nitrogen atmosphere on the other side.Furthermore,the center of this dish-shaped window is expected to be a200-mm-diameter beryllium dish welded to the outside aluminum alloy A6061,and this welded combination must withstand extreme conditions of a 2.4-MW,high-energy proton beam without leakage.These severe conditions make the design of this window an unprecedented challenge.This paper describes the static thermal-structural analyses based on which the structure has been optimized,as well as dynamic analyses for understanding the shockwave effects originating in the beam.After optimization,the maximum von Mises stresses in the window decreased significantly in both normal operation and accident cases,making our design very reasonable.

Beam-beam effects and mitigation in a future proton-proton collider

The beam-beam effects in a hadron collider with an unprecedented energy scale were studied.These effects are strongly related to the attainable luminosity of the collider.Long-range interactions were identified as the major factor limiting the dynamic aperture,which is strongly dependent on the crossing angle,β*,and bunch population.Different mitigation methods of the beam-beam effects were addressed,with a focus on the compensation of long-range interactions by electric curren wires.The CEPC-SPPC project is a two-stage large circular collider,with a first-stage circular electron-positron collider(CEPC)and a second-stage super proton-proton collider(SPPC).The design of the SPPC aims to achieve a center-of-mass energy of 75 TeV and peak luminosity of approximately 1×10^(35) cm^(-2)s^(-1).We studied the beam-beam effects in the SPPC and tested the effectiveness of the mitigation methods.We found that with compensation using electric current wires,the dynamic aperture is at an acceptable level.Moreover,considering the significant emittance damping in this future proton-proton collider the beam-beam effects and compensation are more complicated and are studied using long-term tracking.It was found that with a smaller emittance,the head-on interactions with a crossing angle become more prominent in reducing the beam stability,and combined head-on and long-range compensation is needed to improve the beam quality.When the reduction in population owing to burnoff was included,it was found that the coupling between the transverse and longitudinal planes at smaller emittance is the main driving source of the instabilities.Thus,crab cavities and emittance control are also necessary than just the compensation of the long-range interactions to improve the beam stability.This study serves as an example for studying the beam-beam effects in future proton-proton colliders.

Interface optimization of graphene paper-Cu composite prepared by electrodeposition

A room-temperature electrodeposition method with an organic electrolyte was developed to fabricate a HNO3-pretreated graphene paper Cu(GP'-Cu)composite.To improve the interfacial bonding of GP'-Cu composite,magnetron sputtering technology was used to create a"sandwich"structural gradient GP'-Cu composite.The selection of the intermediate transition layer metal was based on two-dimensional disregistry.Scanning electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and other analytical methods confirmed that the addition of an intermediate transition metal(Cr,Ni)layer reduced the gap distance and enhanced the interfacial bonding of the GP'and Cu deposited layers.The GP'-Ni-Cu composite exhibited the largest increase in tensile strength and conductivity.In addition,it had the highest thermal diffusivity and elongation at break among the GP'-Cu,GP'-Cr-Cu and GP'-Ni-Cu composites.

In-beam gamma rays of CSNS Back-n characterized by black resonance filter

The back-streaming white-neutron beamline(Back-n)of the China Spallation Neutron Source is an essential neutronresearch platform built for the study of nuclear data,neutron physics,and neutron applications.Many types of cross-sectional neutron-reaction measurements have been performed at Back-n since early 2018.These measurements have shown that a significant number of gamma rays can be transmitted to the experimental stations of Back-n along with the neutron beam.These gamma rays,commonly referred to as in-beam gamma rays,can induce a non-negligible experimental background in neutron-reaction measurements.Studying the characteristics of in-beam gamma rays is important for understanding the experimental background.However,measuring in-beam gamma rays is challenging because most gamma-ray detectors are sensitive to neutrons;thus,discriminating between neutron-induced signals and those from in-beam gamma rays is difficult.In this study,we propose the use of the black resonance filter method and a CeBr_(3) scintillation detector to measure the characteristics of the in-beam gamma rays of Back-n.Four types of black resonance filters,^(181)Ta,^(59)Co,^(nat)Ag,and^(nat)Cd,were used in this measurement.The time-of-flight(TOF)technique was used to select the detector signals remaining in the absorption region of the TOF spectra,which were mainly induced by in-beam gamma rays.The energy distribution and flux of the in-beam gamma rays of Back-n were determined by analyzing the deposited energy spectra of the CeBr_(3) scintillation detector and using Monte Carlo simulations.Based on the results of this study,the background contributions from in-beam gamma rays in neutron-reaction measurements at Back-n can be reasonably evaluated,which is beneficial for enhancing both the experimental methodology and data analysis.

Accelerated Cutaneous Wound Healing Using an Injectable Teicoplanin-loaded PLGA-PEG-PLGA Thermogel Dressing

Bacterial infection is a very troublesome issue in wound treatment, which stimulates exudate formation and severely delays the healing process. Herein, a thermogelling dressing system composed of two triblock copolymers of poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA-PEG-PLGA) with different block lengths was developed to deliver teicoplanin(TPN), a glycopeptide antibiotic, for cutaneous wound repair. The TPN-loaded thermogel was a free-flowing sol at room temperature and formed a semi-solid gel at physiological temperature. In vitro studies demonstrated that the TPN-loaded thermogel system exhibited desired tissue adhesiveness and realized the sustained release of TPN in a fast-followed-slow manner for over three weeks. Furthermore, a full-thickness excision wound model in Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats was constructed to assess the efficacy of TPNloaded thermogel formulation. Gross and histopathologic observations implied that treatment with the thermogel formulation reduced inflammation response, promoted disposition of collagen, enhanced angiogenesis, and accelerated wound closure and maturity of SD rats.The combination of the bioactivity of TPN and the acidic nature of the thermogel matrix was responsible for such an enhanced wound healing process. Consequently, the TPN-loaded PLGA-PEG-PLGA thermogel is a good candidate of wound dressing for full-thickness excision wound healing.

Radiation studies for the MOMENT target station

The discovery of the neutrino mixing angle θ13 opens new opportunities for the discovery of leptonic CP violation at high intensity neutrino beams. MOMENT, a future neutrino facility with a high-power proton beam of 15 MW from a continuous-wave linac, is focused on that discovery. The high power of the proton beam causes extreme radiation conditions for the facility and especially for the target station, where the pion capture system of five superconducting solenoids is located. In this paper initial studies are performed for the effects of the radiation on the solenoid structure and the area surrounding it. A concept cooling system is also proposed.