Successful Commissioning at ESS of Accelerator Cavities Tested at the FREIA Laboratory
Accelerator cavities tested in the FREIA laboratory have been installed at ESS and the first proton beam has now passed through the entire accelerator.
At ESS, the European Spallation Source, in Lund, the largest research infrastructure in the Nordic countries, which is expected to become the world’s most powerful neutron source, is close to completion. The purpose of ESS, the construction of which began in 2014 and is planned to be operational in 2027, is to use protons to generate neutrons for in depth material analysis.
From 2017 until 2024, the FREIA Laboratory at Uppsala University tested 14 accelerator modules for ESS. The modules have recently been installed in the ESS accelerator and now the first proton beam has made its way through all acceleration modules and the entire accelerator.
“It has been very exciting working with ESS to develope research infrastructure that can be used for research for decades to come", says Maja Olvegård, researcher at the FREIA Laboratory at Uppsala University.
The next step is to scale up the beam power by gradually increasing the number of protons in the beam and accelerate the protons in all the acceleration modules. This will require a long commissioning period, where many parameters are adjusted to achieve stable operation.
“We, who work at the FREIA laboratory, are impressed with how fast and effectively ESS has worked with the installation this far. We look forward to following the continued work until the accelerator is ready for the users and their research", says Maja Olvegård.
Camilla Thulin
Translation: Johan Wall
Acceleration module being tested in the FREIA laboratory. Image: Mikael Wallerstedt.