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29 August 2012
Image above: The radiofrequency quadrupole module for linear accelerator 4 arrives at CERN for testing (Image: CERN).
During the LHC's long shutdown – scheduled to start on 10 February 2013 – a new linear accelerator, Linac4, will replace the existing Linac2 as the first link in CERN’s accelerator chain. It will deliver particles to the Proton-Synchrotron Booster at 160 MeV, more than triple the energy currently delivered by Linac2.
RFQ module is unloaded to its installation in the test line Linac4
First tests for the upcoming accelerator are underway, starting with the CERN-built radiofrequency quadrupole – a section of the accelerator that focuses, bunches and accelerates a continuous beam of charged particles within an electromagnetic field.
“It’s an extremely impressive module," says project coordinator Carlo Rossi. "Measuring just 3 metres in length, it can take the beam from 45keV up to 3MeV – just the right energy for injection into a typical accelerator.”
Note:
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.
The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.
Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member States.
Find out more:
CERN Bulletin: " Testing begins on Linac4": http://cdsweb.cern.ch/journal/CERNBulletin/2012/35/News%20Articles/1474081?ln=en
For more information about CERN, visit: http://public.web.cern.ch/public/Welcome.html
Images, Text, Credit: CERN.
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