The simulation of beam dynamics in the presence of collective effects requires a strong computational effort to take into account, in a self-consistent way, the wakefield acting on a given charge and ...produced by all the others. Generally this is done by means of a convolution integral or sum. Moreover, if the electromagnetic fields consist of resonant modes with high quality factors, responsible, for example, for coupled bunch instabilities, a charge is also affected by itself in previous turns, and a very long record of wakefield must be properly taken into account. In this paper we present a new simulation code for the longitudinal beam dynamics in a circular accelerator, which exploits an alternative approach to the currently used convolution sum, reducing the computing time and avoiding the issues related to the length of wakefield for coupled bunch instabilities. With this approach it is possible to simulate, without the need for large computing power, simultaneously, the single and multibunch beam dynamics including intrabunch motion. Moreover, for a given machine, generally both the coupling impedance and the wake potential of a short Gaussian bunch are known. However, a classical simulation code needs in input the so-called “Green” function, that is the wakefield produced by a point charge, making necessary some manipulations to use the wake potential instead of the Green function. The method that we propose does not need the wakefield as input, but a particular fitting of the coupling impedance requiring the use of the resonator impedance model, thus avoiding issues related to the knowledge of the Green function. The same approach can also be applied to the transverse case and to linear accelerators as well.
Abstract
Beam-beam interaction in FCC-ee can be seriously affected by the vacuum chamber coupling impedance resulting in a safe tune areas reduction, tune shifts and spread, bunch length and energy ...spread variation. The interplay of the two effects has a drastic impact on the stability of colliding bunches and respectively on the achievable luminosity. In this paper, beam-beam collisions in FCC-ee with 4 interaction points are studied including the updated transverse and longitudinal impedances.
Laser-accelerated protons, generated by irradiating a solid target with a short, energetic laser pulse at high intensity (I > 10
W·cm
), represent a complementary if not outperforming source ...compared to conventional accelerators, due to their intrinsic features, such as high beam charge and short bunch duration. However, the broadband energy spectrum of these proton sources is a bottleneck that precludes their use in applications requiring a more reduced energy spread. Consequently, in recent times strong effort has been put to overcome these limits and to develop laser-driven proton beamlines with low energy spread. In this paper, we report on beam dynamics simulations aiming at optimizing a laser-driven beamline - i.e. a laser-based proton source coupled to conventional magnetic beam manipulation devices - producing protons with a reduced energy spread, usable for applications. The energy range of investigation goes from 2 to 20 MeV, i.e. the typical proton energies that can be routinely obtained using commercial TW-power class laser systems. Our beamline design is capable of reducing the energy spread below 20%, still keeping the overall transmission efficiency around 1% and producing a proton spot-size in the range of 10 mm
. We briefly discuss the results in the context of applications in the domain of Cultural Heritage.
Nitrogen (N) fertilization in corn is often based on uniform rates and yield goals without considering the spatial and temporal variability of yield potential. It is well documented how uniform N ...rates lead to low N use efficiencies and environmental issues, resulting in reduced profit for farmers. Several site-specific approaches have been proposed to capture the yield spatial variability and adjust N rates to the actual crop nutrient requirements. The current study presents two original, site-specific N fertilization approaches, where two approaches at integrating crop simulation models, seasonal forecast and proximal sensing were tested across two corn seasons (2019 and 2020) in a field with significant spatial variability. In the first approach, top dressing N prescription maps were determined using the DSSAT crop model run with historical weather data, while in the second one, the maps were determined coupling DSSAT with seasonal forecasts and proximal sensing. Compared to the uniform fertilization treatment, both model-based approaches led to higher yields, N efficiency and gross margin in 2019 but not in 2020. The 2020 season was characterized by several major rainfall events, which were not present in the historical or seasonal forecast datasets. This inconsistency led to a substantial underestimation of the N leaching events in both model-based methodologies and consequently to higher-than-needed N fertilizer recommendations. Future studies should therefore focus on identifying ways to provide accurate seasonal estimates of extreme weather events to enable crop models to provide better N recommendations. In addition, the integration of proximal and remote sensing data into the crop model should be tested later in the season when spatial variability in crop N status peaks.
•Different weather datasets should be used to run a crop simulation model for N recommendations.•Historical and Seasonal forecasts did not consistently represent the timing and amounts of major rainfall events.•Proximal sensing should be integrated into crop models when spatial variability has its peak (V7 to V10 stages).•Autocalibration approaches for user-independent model calibrations should be integrated into the methodology.
The study of collective effects in circular accelerators can be tackled by solving numerically the Vlasov equation or by using tracking codes. The two methods are obtained with different approaches: ...Vlasov solvers consider a continuous distribution function and describe the beam with coherent oscillation modes in frequency domain (ending up usually with an eigenvalue system to solve), while tracking codes use macroparticles and wakefields in time domain. In this paper we present two Vlasov solvers for the study of collective effects (from impedances/wakefields only) which evaluate the frequency shift of coherent oscillation modes and possible mode coupling instability in the single-bunch case for both longitudinal and transverse planes. In the longitudinal plane the Vlasov solver also takes into account the potential well distortion due to the wakefields under some conditions. In parallel to this theoretical approach, tracking codes, which include collective effects, have been used as benchmark. In particular, starting from their results, we also propose a new method to study the frequency shift of coherent modes and compare it with the output of the Vlasov solvers.
Time-Of-Flight (TOF) methods are very effective to detect particles accelerated in laser-plasma interactions, but they show significant limitations when used in experiments with high energy and ...intensity lasers, where both high-energy ions and remarkable levels of ElectroMagnetic Pulses (EMPs) in the radiofrequency-microwave range are generated. Here we describe a novel advanced diagnostic method for the characterization of protons accelerated by intense matter interactions with high-energy and high-intensity ultra-short laser pulses up to the femtosecond and even future attosecond range. The method employs a stacked diamond detector structure and the TOF technique, featuring high sensitivity, high resolution, high radiation hardness and high signal-to-noise ratio in environments heavily affected by remarkable EMP fields. A detailed study on the use, the optimization and the properties of a single module of the stack is here described for an experiment where a fast diamond detector is employed in an highly EMP-polluted environment. Accurate calibrated spectra of accelerated protons are presented from an experiment with the femtosecond Flame laser (beyond 100 TW power and ~ 10
W/cm
intensity) interacting with thin foil targets. The results can be readily applied to the case of complex stack configurations and to more general experimental conditions.
Several remote sensing-based methods have been developed to apply site-specific nitrogen (N) fertilization in crops. They consider spatial and temporal variability in the soil-plant-atmosphere ...continuum to modulate N applications to the actual crop nutrient status and requirements. However, deriving fertilizer N recommendations exclusively from remote proximal and remote sensing data can lead to substantial inaccuracies and new, more complex approaches are needed.
Therefore, this study presents an improved approach that integrates crop modelling, proximal sensing and forecasts weather data to manage site-specific N fertilization in winter wheat. This improved approach is based on four successive steps: (1)
optimal
N supply is estimated through the DSSAT crop model informed with a combination of observed and forecast weather data; (2)
actual
crop N uptake is estimated using proximal sensing; (3) N prescription maps are created merging crop model and proximal sensing information, considering also the contribution of the soil N mineralisation; (4) N-Variable Rate Application (N-VRA) is implemented in the field. A VRA method based on DSSAT fed with historical weather data and a business-as- usual uniform fertilization were also compared.
The methods were implemented in a 23.4 ha field in Northern Italy, cropped to wheat and characterized by large soil variability in texture and organic matter content. Results indicated that the model-based approaches consistently led to higher yields, agronomic efficiencies and gross margins than the uniform N application rate. Furthermore, the proximal sensing-based approach allowed capturing of the spatial variability in crop N uptake and led to a substantial reduction of the spatial variability in yield and protein content. This study grounds the development of web-based software as a friendly tool to optimize the N variable rate application in winter cereals.
Laser-based electron sources are attracting strong interest from the conventional accelerator community due to their unique characteristics in terms of high initial energy, low emittance, and ...significant beam current. Extremely strong electric fields (up to hundreds of GV/m) generated in the plasma allow accelerating gradients much higher than in conventional accelerators and set the basis for achieving very high final energies in a compact space. Generating laser-driven high-energy electron beam lines therefore represents an attractive challenge for novel particle accelerators. In this paper we show that laser-driven electrons generated by the nowadays consolidated TW laser systems, when leaving the interaction region, are subject to a very strong, normalized emittance worsening which makes them quickly unusable for any beam transport. Furthermore, due to their intrinsic beam characteristics, controlling and capturing the full beam current can only be achieved improving the source parameters.
The Future Circular Collider study, which aims at designing post-LHC particle accelerator options, is entering in the final stage, which foresees a conceptual design report containing the basic ...requirements for a hadron and a lepton collider, as well as options for an electron-proton machine. Due to the high beam intensities of these accelerators, collective effects have to be carefully analyzed. Among them, the finite conductivity of the beam vacuum chamber represents a major source of impedance for the electron-positron collider. By using numerical and analytical tools, a parametric study of longitudinal and transverse instabilities caused by the resistive wall is performed in this paper for the case of the Future Circular Collider lepton machine, by taking into account also the effects of coating, used to fight the electron cloud build up. It will be proved that under certain assumptions the coupling impedance of a two layer system does not depend on the conductivity of the coating and this property represents an important characteristic for the choice of the material itself. The results and findings of this study have an impact on the machine design in several aspects. In particular the quite low threshold of single bunch instabilities with respect to the nominal beam current and the not negligible power losses due to the resistive wall are shown, together with the necessity of a new feedback system to counteract the fast transverse coupled bunch instability. The importance of a round vacuum chamber to avoid the quadrupolar tune shift is also discussed. Finally the crucial importance of the beam pipe material coating and thickness choice for the above results is underlined.