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In this paper, we consider the advantages of an alternative design concept for HTS accelerator magnets operating at 20 K or above. The idea is primarily built on using REBCO tape as the main conductor, but may be applicable to other HTS. The key concepts are to align REBCO tapes in the most favourable field orientation and to make joints for every turn such that the tapes will not have to be wound over the saddle ends. We argue that such a concept involving resistive joints is viable at 20 K or above due to an increased cryogenic efficiency, and has multiple advantages that would more than compensate for the resistive heating cost penalty. First, the favourable tape orientation can allow a much higher current carrying capability. Second, the short unit length of tapes equal to the length of the magnet will be much more economical and can be specified at a higher performance than a long continuous piece equal to the number of turns multiplied by the length of the magnet. Third, any defective conductor can be replaced easily and at a much lower cost than an entire coil. Fourth, with each tape separately sourced and connected, efficient grading with stress management can be achieved. Fifth, the straight section of the magnet would be modular and easily scalable for production in industry. Correspondingly, the most challenging part is the end cap design and joint technology, whose geometrical constraints are well within national laboratories' capabilities, making the R&D and prototyping phases much more affordable, with a turnover time much quicker than testing full size magnets. Additional attractive potentials include conductor development (e.g., double-sided extra thick REBCO), novel diagnostics (e.g., individual tape quench detection and protection), synergy with fusion devices research (e.g., demountable joints), and other possibilities.

Defect engineering is foundational to classical electronic device development and for emerging quantum devices. Here, we report on defect engineering of silicon with ion pulses from a laser accelerator in the laser intensity range of 1019 W cm−2 and ion flux levels of up to 1022 ions cm−2 s−1, about five orders of magnitude higher than conventional ion implanters. Low energy ions from plasma expansion of the laser-foil target are implanted near the surface and then diffuse into silicon samples locally pre-heated by high energy ions from the same laser-ion pulse. Silicon crystals exfoliate in the areas of highest energy deposition. Color centers, predominantly W and G-centers, form directly in response to ion pulses without a subsequent annealing step. We find that the linewidth of G-centers increases with high ion flux faster than the linewidth of W-centers, consistent with density functional theory calculations of their electronic structure. Intense ion pulses from a laser-accelerator drive materials far from equilibrium and enable direct local defect engineering and high flux doping of semiconductors.

By the end of October 2022, the US HL-LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP) had completed fabrication of ten MQXFA magnets and tested eight of them. The MQXFA magnets are the low-beta quadrupole magnets to be used in the Q1 and Q3 Inner Triplet elements of the High Luminosity LHC. This AUP effort is shared by BNL, Fermilab, and LBNL, with strand verification tests at NHMFL. An important step of the AUP QA plan is the testing of MQXFA magnets in a vertical cryostat at BNL. The acceptance criteria that could be tested at BNL were all met by the first four production magnets (MQXFA03-MQXFA06). Subsequently, two magnets (MQXFA07 and MQXFA08) did not meet some of the criteria and were disassembled. Lessons learned during the disassembly of MQXFA07 caused a revision to the assembly specifications that were used for MQXFA10 and subsequent magnets. In this article, we present a summary of: 1) the fabrication and test data for all the MQXFA magnets; 2) the analysis of MQXFA07/A08 test results with characterization of the limiting mechanism; 3) the outcome of the investigation, including the lessons learned during MQXFA07 disassembly; and 4) the finite element analysis correlating observations with test performance.

The use of high-field superconducting magnets has furthered the development of medical diagnosis, fusion research, accelerators, and particle physics. High-temperature superconductors enable magnets more powerful than those possible with Nb-Ti (superconducting transition temperature Tc of 9.2 K) and Nb3Sn (Tc of 18.4 K) conductors due to their very high critical field Bc2 of greater than 100 T near 4.2 K. However, the development of high-field accelerator magnets using high-temperature superconductors is still at its early stage. We report the construction of the world's first high-temperature superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi-2212 with Tc of ∼82 K) accelerator dipole magnet. The magnet is based on a canted-cosine-theta design with Bi-2212 Rutherford cables. A high critical current was achieved by an overpressure processing heat treatment. The magnet was constructed from a nine-strand Rutherford cable made from industrial 0.8 mm wires. At 4.2 K, it reached a quench current of 3600 A and a dipole field of 1.64 T in a bore of 31 mm. The magnet did not exhibit the undesirable quench training common in Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn accelerator magnets. It quenched a dozen times without degradation. The magnet exhibited low magnetic field hysteresis (

A large bore 'High-Temperature Superconductor Cable Test Facility Magnet' for testing advanced cables and inserts in high transverse field is in its design phase. This magnet will be the core component of a facility for developing conductors and accelerator magnets operating above 15 T, an enabling technology for next-generation fusion devices using magnetic confinement of plasma and for future energy frontier colliders. The procurement of Nb3Sn conductor, fabrication of cables, winding of coils, and assembly of the dipole magnet will be done at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the test pit and cryostat will be constructed at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. This article will present the conductor element of the LBNL project, specifically cable design parameters (based on the Bruker OST RRP^{\bigcirc \!\!\!\! {\hbox{R}}} Nb3Sn superconducting wire) and the development phase cable fabrication experience. Challenges of the cable fabrication will be discussed. The wire and cable planned for this magnet are similar to those under study for the Future Circular Collider and other large facility magnets. The successful fabrication of the development cable has positive implications for these other projects.

Accelerator magnets made with Nb3Sn superconducting coils are currently the most viable candidate technology for increasing the luminosity and energy of particle accelerators like the LHC. Today, the most developed Nb3Sn wire technology is the restacked rod process (RRP) wire manufactured by Bruker. RRP wires normally undergo a reaction heat treatment after coil winding which consists of three stages, one at 210 °C, one at 400 °C, and one at ∼660 °C spending roughly 48 h at each stage. The last stage of this heat treatment activates the solid-state diffusion which forms the Nb3Sn, whereas the first two stages have been historically used to 'mix' the Cu and Sn in order to avoid liquefaction of the low melting temperature phases. Recently, the second stage was studied and optimized to improve critical current density in RRP wires by controlling the kinetics triggered when the Cu-Nb-Sn ternary phase ('Nausite') forms; the first stage however, has a negligible impact on the critical current density of RRP wires, and instead focuses on reducing the probability of Sn leaking from the wires. These instances of Sn leaks are often referred to as 'Sn bursts.' In this paper, we explore Sn bursting on Rutherford cables made with RRP wires in an attempt to better understand the threat of Sn bursts for future accelerator magnets using modern RRP wires. It was found that the Sn burst prevention mechanism, facilitated by the 210 °C stage, can be achieved in a fraction of the time, and that the modern RRP wires are less likely to observe Sn bursting. This new knowledge has enabled us to further understand and optimize the heat treatment of RRP wires for future accelerator magnets.

The 0.850 ± 0.003 mm Nb3Sn wires for the low-beta quadrupole magnets 'MQXFA' procured for the U.S. LHC Accelerator R&D Program (LARP) and the U.S. High Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (US HL-LHC AUP, or simply AUP) are received at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). There, the wires are respooled and then fabricated into Rutherford cables for winding coils. As part of the quality control program, AUP obtains from the wire manufacturer values of the maximum, average, minimum, and standard deviation of the two orthogonal axes, which are assessed prior to shipment approval. At LBNL, a dual-axis optical micrometer is used to measure the wire diameter of each spool every ∼30 cm prior to cabling. This helps decide whether wire pieces with abnormal diameters should be distributed across the cable cross section, in order to improve cable parameter quality and mechanical stability consistency. This paper presents: 1) diameter data of LARP cables and of the first AUP cables made using wires acquired under LARP; 2) our deviation acceptance/rejection justification; and 3) the impact of wire diameter statistics on cable fabrication.

Among the components to be upgraded in LHC interaction regions for the HiLumi-LHC projects are the inner triplet (or low-β) quadrupole magnets, denoted as Q1, Q2a, Q2b, and Q3. The new quadrupole magnets, called MQXF, are based on Nb3Sn superconducting magnet technology and operate at a gradient of 132.6 T/m, with a conductor peak field of 11.4 T. Q1 and Q3 are composed of magnets (called MQXFA) fabricated by the U.S. Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP), with a magnetic length of 4.2 m. Q2a and Q2b consist of magnets (called MQXFB) fabricated by CERN, with a magnetic length of 7.15 m. After a series of short models, constructed in close collaboration by the US and CERN, the development program is now entering in the prototyping phase, with CERN on one side and BNL, FNAL, and LBNL on the other side assembling and testing their first long magnets We provide in this paper a description of the status of the MQXF program, with a summary of the short model test results, including quench performance, and mechanics, and an update on the fabrication, assembly, and test of the long prototypes.

The U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) quadrupole HQ02 was designed and fully tested as part of the low-beta quad development for Hi-Lumi LHC. HQ02's design is well documented with full fabrication accounting along with full field analysis at low and high current. With this history, HQ02 is an excellent test bed for developing a methodology for measuring turn locations from magnet cross sections and comparing with CAD models and measured field. All four coils of HQ02 were cut in identical locations along the magnetic length corresponding to magnetic field measurement and coil metrology. A real-time camera and coordinate measuring equipment was used to plot turn corners. Measurements include systematic and random displacements of winding blocks and individual turns along the magnetic length. The range of cable shifts and the field harmonic range along the length are in agreement, although correlating turn locations and measured harmonics in each cross section is challenging.

The US LHC Accelerator Research Program is constructing prototype interaction region quadrupoles as part of the US in-kind contribution to the Hi-Lumi LHC project. The low-beta MQXFA Q1/Q3 coils have a 4-m length and a 150 mm bore. The design was previously validated on short, one meter models (MQXFS) developed as part of the longstanding Nb3Sn quadrupole R&D by LARP in collaboration with CERN. In parallel, facilities and tooling are being developed and refined at BNL, LBNL, and FNAL to enable long coil production, assembly, and cold testing. Long length scale-up is based on the experience from the LARP 90-mm aperture (TQ-LQ) and 120-mm aperture (HQ and Long HQ) programs. A 4-m long MQXF practice coil was fabricated to verify procedures, parts, and tooling. In parallel, the first complete prototype coil (QXFP01a) was fabricated and assembled in a long magnetic mirror, MQXFPM1, to provide early feedback on coil design and fabrication following the successful experience of previous LARP mirror tests.

Heat treatments and phase formation of Nb3Sn internal tin superconductors are more complicated than bronze route conductors due to the need to convert low melting/low decomposition temperature Sn-rich phases to higher temperature Cu-rich Cu-Sn phases. Conventionally, the Cu-Sn phase development in internal tin wires and hence heat treatment optimization and microstructure control are typically interpreted as a matter of outward Sn diffusion from the Sn core towards the Nb filaments, and Cu diffusion in the opposite direction is simply assumed. In this paper, we present a perspective of Cu diffusion, based on our investigation of phase development. We shall show that the conventional Sn diffusion perspective cannot explain some of our observations, in particular the subelement core phase development. We shall also show that the distribution of Kirkendall pores is opposite to that of the coarse Nb3Sn grains, thus establishing a direct relationship between copper diffusion and coarse Nb3Sn grain formation and distribution. We shall compare wires of different local Cu:Nb area ratio (LAR) and show how Cu diffusion appears to control the Cu-Sn phase formation across the subelement and the final Nb3Sn microstructure (and hence influences the critical current density). Drawing from what we learnt from our observation, we managed to modify a standard heat treatment and obtained up to over 20% improvement in critical current density in some of the wire designs we investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ITER magnet coils are wound from Cable-In-Conduit Conductors (CICC) made up of superconducting and copper strands assembled into a multistage, rope-type cable inserted into a conduit of butt-welded austenitic steel tubes. The conductors for the Toroidal Field (TF) and Central Solenoid (CS) coils require about 500 tons of Nb3Sn strands while the Poloidal Field (PF) and Correction Coil (CC) conductors need around 250 tons of Nb-Ti strands. The required amount of Nb3Sn strands far exceeds pre-existing industrial capacity and calls for a significant worldwide production scale up. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The longitudinal and transverse cross-sectional microstructures of several internal tin Nb3Sn strands have been systematically investigated. The critical current densities of these strands were then correlated with their design parameters. It is observed that the occurrence of certain coarse grain structures is related to the location of the filaments with respect to the subelements as well as to the strand. Experimental evidence suggests that the existence of these coarse grains is related to Sn distribution during the early stages of the heat treatment. It is also noticed that some coarse grains have high aspect ratio features, confirming the need to study the longitudinal fracture surface. We report in this paper the observation of some unusual grain sizes and morphologies. It appears that, of the high-Sn content Nb3Sn conductors investigated in this paper, a strand's global composition has a weaker influence on the critical current density (Jc) than local and structural factors, such as the local Cu:Nb area ratio (LAR) and filament layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bronze phase transformations during the heat treatment of two multifilamentary internal tin Nb3Sn wires for high field applications made by Luvata are investigated and compared with some model single core wires. Non-uniform bronze profiles, non-uniform Sn distributions in different bundles, and Sn concentration gradient inversion were observed. Their possible formation mechanisms and consequences are discussed in relation to crystal orientation, Ti addition and microstructure. Wire manufacturing processes such as wire drawing impart preferred orientations on the components. The effect of wire texture on Cu-Sn interdiffusion and non-uniform bronze formation was investigated and believed not to be the cause of the non-uniform bronze profiles. 3-dimensional X-ray microtomography is applied to explain the non-uniformity in different bundles by analyzing the porosity formed during reactive diffusion of the low-melting phases. Ti is often added as a ternary addition, either in the Sn core or as Nb-Ti. In the Luvata wires investigated, Ti is present in Sn as the intermetallic compound Ti6Sn5. Its dissolution through a ternary CuSnTi phase, possibly via reaction with Cu3Sn, has been observed. EDS mapping of the Ti distribution suggests that it is likely to be responsible for the inversion of the Sn concentration gradient. The potential advantage of adding Ti in Sn over using Nb-Ti alloy is discussed. Critical temperature measurements were performed to relate superconducting properties to the phase transformations, composition changes and non-uniform bronze formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]