1200 accelerator physicists from around the world meet in Dresden
The graduate students Jens Vöker and Christoph Kunert received a IPAC grant and presented their work on a student poster sesson.
HoBiCaT is a test facility for superconducting RF systems at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.Ecperts from HZB are jointing the accelarator conference.
The world’s largest particle accelerator conference is being held in Germany for the first time, with around 1200 scientists expected to visit the Saxon capital Dresden from 15 to 20 June. The 5th international conference IPAC is the place for experts to share the advancements they have made in developing particle accelerators and their components.
Experiments with accelerated particles have yielded countless valuable insights for science and mankind. They will forever be a part of modern research. Producing these coveted particles requires a reliable accelerator. The demands on these large machines are constantly growing as researchers wish to gain a deeper understanding of the structure and dynamics of materials, for example, using increasingly intense beams and ever shorter light pulses. Yet, materials research is just one aspect – the range of uses for particle accelerators is extremely wide and is reflected by the range of topics on the IPAC agenda: from future accelerator projects, to alternative concepts, to use in cancer therapy. The conference is being hosted by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, with its competence in accelerator physics, is supporting the local organization of the conference.
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is taking this opportunity to present the concept BESSY-VSR, the most important advancement on the electron storage ring BESSY II, to a large community of specialists. The HZB scientists have also summarized on a number of posters the progress in the development of a prototype for an energy recovery linac (ERL), BERLinPro, as well as in undulator development. Following the conference, 50 interested participants will be visiting the electron storage ring BESSY II, the Metrology Light Source (MLS) and the test laboratory for superconducting cavities (HoBiCaT) and learning about the experimental possibilities at HZB.
The international conference aims especially at promoting new, young talents in accelerator physics and giving them the opportunity to participate in this important exchange platform. In total, 90 students from around the world have received “IPAC Grants”. These grants cover their conference fees and allow them to participate in a junior scientist poster exhibition. From Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Christoph Kunert (Proton Therapy) and Jens Völker (Institute for Accelerator Physics) have each received a grant. In the conference’s local organization committee, Stefanie Kodalle (Communication) is supporting the smooth proceedings of the conference as Presentation Manager.
The accelerator conference also featured a free evening lecture for the interested public: On 15 June, Dresden scientist Professor Wolfgang Enghardt presented information about the novel cancer therapy with particle beams and about accelerators in medicine.
- New instrument at BESSY II: The OÆSE endstation in EMILA new instrument is now available at BESSY II for investigating catalyst materials, battery electrodes and other energy devices under operating conditions: the Operando Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy on EMIL (OÆSE) endstation in the Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory Berlin (EMIL). A team led by Raul Garcia-Diez and Marcus Bär showcases the instrument’s capabilities via a proof-of-concept study on electrodeposited copper.
- Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalystClathrates are characterised by a complex cage structure that provides space for guest ions too. Now, for the first time, a team has investigated the suitability of clathrates as catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production with impressive results: the clathrate sample was even more efficient and robust than currently used nickel-based catalysts. They also found a reason for this enhanced performance. Measurements at BESSY II showed that the clathrates undergo structural changes during the catalytic reaction: the three-dimensional cage structure decays into ultra-thin nanosheets that allow maximum contact with active catalytic centres. The study has been published in the journal ‘Angewandte Chemie’.
- Solar cells on moon glass for a future base on the moonFuture settlements on the moon will need energy, which could be supplied by photovoltaics. However, launching material into space is expensive – transporting one kilogram to the moon costs one million euros. But there are also resources on the moon that can be used. A research team led by Dr. Felix Lang of the University of Potsdam and Dr. Stefan Linke of the Technical University of Berlin have now produced the required glass from ‘moon dust’ (regolith) and coated it with perovskite. This could save up to 99 percent of the weight needed to produce PV modules on the moon. The team tested the radiation tolerance of the solar cells at the proton accelerator of the HZB.