PU, Princeton, New Jersey
STFC/RAL/ASTeC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
STFC/RAL, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
CERN, Geneva
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
Fermilab, Batavia
The MERIT (MERcury Intense Target) experiment was run in the fall of 2007 using 14 and 24 GeV intense proton beams from the CERN PS. It is a proof-of-principle experiment designed to validate a target concept for producing an intense muon source for a future muon collider or neutrino factory. The experiment successfully demonstrated a target technique for multi-MW proton beams that utilizes a free-flowing liquid metal jet within the confines of a high-field solenoid. We describe the experimental strategy and parameters, as well as the results obtained and their implications for future muon-based accelerator facilities.
CERN, Geneva
STFC/RAL/ASTeC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
STFC/RAL, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
PU, Princeton, New Jersey
Fermilab, Batavia
The MERIT experiment is a proof-of-principle test of a target system for high power proton beam to be used as front-end for a neutrino factory complex or a muon collider. The experiment took data in autumn 2007 with the fast extracted beam from the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) to a maximum intensity of about 30·1012 protons per pulse. We report results from the portion of the MERIT experiment in which separated beam pulses were delivered to a free mercury jet target with time intervals between pulses varying from 2 to 700 microseconds. The analysis is based on the responses of particle detectors placed along side and downstream of the target.
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
CERN, Geneva
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
PU, Princeton, New Jersey
Funding: U.S. Department of Energy contract DE-AC05-00OR22725
Operation of a mercury jet delivery system is presented. The delivery system is part of the Mercury Intense Target (MERIT) Experiment, a proof-of-principle experiment conducted at CERN in 2007 which demonstrated the feasibility of using an unconstrained jet of mercury as a target for a future Neutrino Factory or Muon Collider. The Hg system was designed to produce a 1-cm-diameter, 20 m/s Hg jet inside a high-field (15 Tesla), 15-cm-bore solenoid magnet. A high-speed optical diagnostic system allowed observation of the interaction of the jet with both 14- and 24-GeV proton beams. Performance of the Hg system during the in-beam experiment will be presented.
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
Funding: DOE
A study of target parameters for a high-intensity, liquid mercury jet target system for a neutrino factory or muon collider is presented. Using the MARS code, we simulate particle production initiated by incoming protons with kinetic energies between 2 and 100 GeV. For each proton beam energy, we optimize the geometric parameters of the target: the mercury jet radius, the incoming proton beam angle, and the crossing angle between the mercury jet and the proton beam. The number of muons surviving through an ionization cooling channel is determined as a function of the proton beam energy
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
STFC/RAL/ASTeC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
STFC/RAL, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
CERN, Geneva
PU, Princeton, New Jersey
Fermilab, Batavia
We report on the analysis of data collected from the optical diagnostics of the MERIT experiment which was run at CERN in the fall of 2007. The breakup of the free mercury jet resulting from the impact of intense proton beams from the CERN PS within a magnetic field environment is described.