arXiv subjects

Daniel Winklehner

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Winklehner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

From Beam to Bedside: Reinforcing Domestic Supply of $^{99}$Mo/$^{99m}$Tc using Novel High-Current D+ Cyclotrons for Compact Neutron Generation and $^{99}$Mo Production

Technetium-99m ($^{99m}$Tc) is essential to more than 16 million diagnostic procedures performed annually in the United States. It is typically acquired on-site from generators containing $^{99}$Mo, in turn produced at nuclear reactor facilities. This supply chain involves multiple points of vulnerability, which can lead to shortages and delays with potentially negative patient outcomes. We report on the development of a new family of cyclotrons originally designed for the IsoDAR neutrino experiment, capable of operating at much higher current than typical cyclotrons. When operated with deuterons at 1.5 MeV/amu and an anticipated continuous beam current of 5 mA, simulations project that such a system would yield $\sim$10$^{13}$ neutrons per second using a thin beryllium target. This neutron yield is sufficient, in principle, to support $^{99}$Mo production without the use of highly enriched uranium or reliance on foreign reactors. Simulations and conceptual design studies suggest that the system's beam dynamics could make it a viable pathway toward decentralized, hospital-based isotope generation. The relatively low energy of the deuterons minimizes activation and safety concerns. This work presents the physics motivation, technical design considerations, and projected neutron yields, outlining a pathway from a neutrino-physics prototype to a biomedical isotope production platform.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2026

The $\nu$EYE Neutrino Telescope: Conceptual Design Report

The $\bf\nu EYE$ neutrino project leverages the existing large pit at Yemilab located in South Korea, to reveal the existence of sterile neutrino, the up-turn of the neutrinos from the Sun, and the first minimum of the neutrino oscillation over distances on the order of tens of kilometers for the first time. This initiative is expected to facilitate a wide range of significant scientific and technological advancements within both South Korean and international communities engaged in neutrino science and technology. The $\bf\nu EYE$ aims to investigate the largely unexplored sector of almost-massless lepton in the elementary particle physics in detail. The emphasis will be placed on the study of real time nuclear processes and reactions involving possible sterile neutrinos on timescales down to nanoseconds in ultra-high intense or radioactive neutrino beams for the first time in the world; the $\bf\nu EYE$ looks at to-be universal oscillation (``up-turn'' in the electron neutrino survival probability) of neutrinos predicted by the three neutrino oscillation paradigm. This will confirm or deny our current understanding on the particle interactions of the lepton sector; and measurement of the first oscillation minimum between the first and second neutrinos in mass.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

IsoDAR@Yemilab: Preliminary Design Report -- Volume II: Medium Energy Beam Transport, Neutrino Source, and Shielding

This Preliminary Design Report (PDR) describes the IsoDAR electron-antineutrino source in two volumes which are mostly site-independent and describe the cyclotron driver providing a 60 MeV, 10 mA proton beam (Volume I); and the medium energy beam transport line (MEBT) and target (this Volume). The IsoDAR driver and target will produce about $1.15\cdot10^{23}$ electron-antineutrinos over five calendar years. Paired with a kton-scale liquid scintillator detector, this will enable a broad particle physics program including searches for new symmetries, new interactions and new particles. Here in Volume II, we describe the medium energy beam transport line, the antineutrino source beam-target and surrounding sleeve, shielding, and plans for monitoring and installation.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

The MIST-1 and MIST-2 multicusp ion sources for high-current H$_2^+$ beams

We present two iterations of the Multicusp Ion Source Technology at MIT (MIST) sources, designed to fulfill the requirements of the HCHC-XX cyclotron design. The HCHC-XX is a novel compact cyclotron accelerating H$_2^+$. Beam is injected through a radio-frequency quadrupole buncher-accelerator (embedded in the cyclotron yoke) and utilizes so-called vortex motion during acceleration. If successful, it will deliver 10 mA of protons at 60 MeV in CW mode. This scheme requires a low-emittance, high-current initial beam with high H$_2^+$ purity. We briefly summarize the design and previous results of the MIST-1 ion source and, for the first time, the detailed design of the new and improved MIST-2, including the mechanical, electrical, and control system design. We further show experimental results of using the MIST-2 backplate on the MIST-1 body, present a study using different types of permanent magnets for confinement (including no magnets), and finally, we present first results of the MIST-2 in full operation. In this first commissioning run, we were able to increase the total extracted current from the MIST-2 to 7 mA - a factor of 2 over the MIST-1.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2024

Neutrino yield and neutron shielding calculations for a high-power target installed in an underground setting

With the ever increasing beam power at particle accelerator-based facilities for nuclear and particle physics, radioactive isotope production, and nuclear engineering, targets that can withstand this power, and shielding of secondary particles are becoming increasingly important. Here we present Monte Carlo (MC) calculations using the well-established Geant4 software to optimise and predict the antineutrino yield of a $^8$Li Decay-At-Rest (DAR) source. The source relies on 600~kW of beam power from a continuous wave proton beam impinging on a beryllium target, where spallation neutrons capture on $^7$Li to produce the $^8$Li. We further present an in-depth treatment of the neutron shielding surrounding this target. We show that we can produce the high antineutrino flux needed for the discovery-level experiment IsoDAR, searching for ``sterile'' neutrinos (predicted new fundamental particles) and other beyond standard model physics, while maintaining a neutron flux in the detector that is below natural backgrounds. The methods presented in this paper are easily transferable to other high-power targets and their associated shielding.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

IsoDAR@Yemilab: Preliminary Design Report -- Volume I: Cyclotron Driver

This Preliminary Design Report (PDR) describes the IsoDAR electron-antineutrino source in two volumes which are mostly site-independent and describe the cyclotron driver providing a 60 MeV, 10 mA proton beam (this Volume); and the medium energy beam transport line (MEBT) and target (Volume II). The IsoDAR driver and target will produce about 1.15e23 electron-antineutrinos over five years. Paired with a kton-scale liquid scintillator detector, it will enable a broad particle physics program including searches for new symmetries, new interactions and new particles. Here in Volume I, we describe the driver, which includes the ion source, low energy beam transport, and cyclotron. The latter features Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) direct axial injection and represents the first accelerator purpose-built to make use of so-called vortex motion.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2023

Physics Potential of a Few Kiloton Scale Neutrino Detector at a Deep Underground Lab in Korea

The demand for underground labs for neutrino and rare event search experiments has been increasing over the last few decades. Yemilab, constructed in October 2022, is the first deep ($\sim$1~km) underground lab dedicated to science in Korea, where a large cylindrical cavern (D: 20~m, H: 20~m) was excavated in addition to the main caverns and halls. The large cavern could be utilized for a low background neutrino experiment by a liquid scintillator-based detector (LSC) where a 2.26 kiloton LS target would be filled. It's timely to have such a large but ultra-pure LS detector after the shutdown of the Borexino experiment so that solar neutrinos can be measured much more precisely. Interesting BSM physics searches can be also pursued with this detector when it's combined with an electron linac, a proton cyclotron (IsoDAR source), or a radioactive source. This article discusses the concept of a candidate detector and the physics potential of a large liquid scintillator detector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

The EPICS control system for IsoDAR

Many large accelerator facilities have adopted the open-source EPICS software as the quasi-industry standard for control systems. They typically have access to their own electronics laboratory and dedicated personnel for control system development. On the other hand, small laboratories, many based at universities, use commercial software like LabView, or entirely homebrewed systems. These often become cumbersome when the number of controlled devices increases over time. Here we present a control system setup, based on a combination of EPICS, React Automation Studio, and our own drivers for electronics available to smaller laboratories -- such as Arduinos -- that is flexible, modular, and robust. It allows small laboratories, working with off-the-shelf modular electronics, power supplies, and other devices to quickly set up a control system without a large facility overhead, while retaining maximum compatibility and upgradeability. We demonstrate our setup for the MIST-1 ion source experiment at MIT. This control system will later be used to serve the entire IsoDAR accelerator complex and, as such, must be easily expandable.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Enabling a Multi-Purpose High-Energy Neutron Source Based on High-Current Compact Cyclotrons

The current and future need for high-energy neutrons has been a subject of increasing discussion and concern. Immediate applications for such an intense neutron source include medical isotope production, high-energy physics (HEP) research, and for materials development and to support qualification for fission reactors. Also, and of the utmost importance, is the need for such a source to inform critical gaps in our understanding of the transmutation materials science issues facing fusion power reactors. A 14 MeV fusion prototypical neutron source (FPNS) has been a critical, yet unresolved need of the fusion program for more than 40 years. Given the narrowing timeline for construction of pilot and fusion power plants the urgency and necessity of such a neutron source has become increasingly time sensitive. One possibility to address this need is a scaled-down version of IFMIF technology ("IFMIF-Lite"), operating at 125 mA with the beam and target technology leveraging technology developed under the IFMIF/EVEDA program. Within this white paper, a blueprint of necessary R&D to enable a transformational change in both the capital and operating cost of this IFMIF-Lite driver concept is presented. Enabling this transformation is the replacement of the historic RFQ/LINAC components with multiple compact 35+ MeV D+ drivers, based on compact cyclotrons.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2022

Neural Networks as Effective Surrogate Models of Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Particle Accelerator Simulations

Radio-Frequency Quadrupoles (RFQs) are multi-purpose linear particle accelerators that simultaneously bunch and accelerate charged particle beams. They are ubiquitous in accelerator physics, especially as injectors to higher-energy machines, owing to their impressive efficiency. The design and optimization of these devices can be lengthy due to the need to repeatedly perform high-fidelity simulations. Several recent papers have demonstrated that machine learning can be used to build surrogate models (fast-executing replacements of computationally costly beam simulations) for order-of-magnitude computing time speedups. However, while these pilot studies are encouraging, there is room to improve their predictive accuracy. Particularly, beam summary statistics such as emittances (an important figure of merit in particle accelerator physics) have historically been challenging to predict. For the first time, we present a surrogate model trained on 200,000 samples that yields <6% mean average percent error for the predictions of all relevant beam output parameters, solving the problem of poor emittance predictions by identifying and including hidden variables which were not accounted for previously. These surrogate models were made possible by using the Julia language and GPU computing; we briefly discuss both. We demonstrate the utility of surrogate modeling by performing a multi-objective optimization using our best model as a callback in the objective function to select an optimal RFQ design. We consider trade-offs in RFQ performance for various choices of Pareto-optimal design variables: common issues for any multi-objective optimization scheme. Lastly, we make recommendations for input data preparation, selection, and neural network architectures that pave the way for future development of production-capable surrogate models for RFQs and other particle accelerators.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2022

Report of the Snowmass'21 Workshop on High-Power Cyclotrons and FFAs

This whitepaper summarizes and the state of the field of high-power cyclotrons and FFAs as discussed by international experts during a three-day workshop of the same name. The workshop was held online from Sep 7 to Sep 9, 2021 as part of the US Snowmass'21 Community Exercise, specifically the Accelerator Frontier (AF) and the subpanel Accelerators for Neutrinos (AF02). Thus, we put emphasis on the application of high-power cyclotrons in particle physics, specifically neutrino physics, and as drivers for muon production. In the introduction, we discuss the role of cyclotrons for particle physics, and later we highlight existing and planned experiments in the corresponding sections. However, as these same accelerators have important applications in the fields of isotope production - both for research and medicine - and possibly even in energy research, by providing beam to demonstrator experiments in the areas of Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS), we include these far-reaching topics to provide a full picture of the status and applications of high-power cyclotrons. Furthermore, Fixed Field Alternating Gradient accelerators (FFAs) have recently seen renewed interest. They are in many respects (basic operating principles) similar to cyclotrons and have thus been included in this workshop and whitepaper as well. We are discussing current projects and whether FFAs have the prospect of becoming high-intensity machines.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2022

New directions for surrogate models and differentiable programming for High Energy Physics detector simulation

The computational cost for high energy physics detector simulation in future experimental facilities is going to exceed the current available resources. To overcome this challenge, new ideas on surrogate models using machine learning methods are being explored to replace computationally expensive components. Additionally, differentiable programming has been proposed as a complementary approach, providing controllable and scalable simulation routines. In this document, new and ongoing efforts for surrogate models and differential programming applied to detector simulation are discussed in the context of the 2021 Particle Physics Community Planning Exercise (`Snowmass').

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

IsoDAR@Yemilab: A Report on the Technology, Capabilities, and Deployment

IsoDAR@Yemilab is a novel isotope-decay-at-rest experiment that has preliminary approval to run at the Yemi underground laboratory (Yemilab) in Jeongseon-gun, South Korea. In this technical report, we describe in detail the considerations for installing this compact particle accelerator and neutrino target system at the Yemilab underground facility. Specifically, we describe the caverns being prepared for IsoDAR, and address installation, hielding, and utilities requirements. To give context and for completeness, we also briefly describe the physics opportunities of the IsoDAR neutrino source when paired with the Liquid Scintillator Counter (LSC) at Yemilab, and review the technical design of the neutrino source.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Input Beam Matching and Beam Dynamics Design Optimization of the IsoDAR RFQ using Statistical and Machine Learning Techniques

We present a novel machine learning-based approach to generate fast-executing virtual radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) particle accelerators using surrogate modelling. These could potentially be used as on-line feedback tools during beam commissioning and operation, and to optimize the RFQ beam dynamics design prior to construction. Since surrogate models execute orders of magnitude faster than corresponding physics beam dynamics simulations using standard tools like PARMTEQM and RFQGen, the computational complexity of the multi-objective optimization problem reduces significantly. Ultimately, this presents a computationally inexpensive and time efficient method to perform sensitivity studies and an optimization of the crucial RFQ beam output parameters like transmission and emittances. Two different methods of surrogate model creation (polynomial chaos expansion and neural networks) are discussed and the achieved model accuracy is evaluated for different study cases with gradually increasing complexity, ranging from a simple FODO cell example to the full RFQ optimization. We find that variations of the beam input Twiss parameters can be reproduced well. The prediction of the beam with respect to hardware changes, e.g. of the electrode modulation, are challenging on the other hand. We discuss possible reasons.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2021

Order-of-Magnitude Beam Current Improvement in Compact Cyclotrons

There is great need for high intensity proton beams from compact particle accelerators in particle physics, medical isotope production, and materials- and energy-research. To address this need, we present, for the first time, a design for a compact isochronous cyclotron that will be able to deliver 10 mA of 60 MeV protons - an order of magnitude higher than on-market compact cyclotrons and a factor four higher than research machines. A key breakthrough is that vortex motion is incorporated in the design of a cyclotron, leading to clean extraction. Beam losses on the septa of the electrostatic extraction channels stay below 50 W (a factor four below the required safety limit), while maintaining good beam quality. We present a set of highly accurate particle-in-cell simulations, and an uncertainty quantification of select beam input parameters using machine learning, showing the robustness of the design. This design can be utilized for beams for experiments in particle and nuclear physics, materials science and medical physics as well as for industrial applications.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

High current $\mathrm{H}_2^+$ beams from a filament-driven multicusp ion source

Recently, the use of $\mathrm{H}_2^+$ ions instead of protons to overcome space charge challenges in compact cyclotrons has received much attention. This technique has the potential to increase the available beam current from compact cyclotrons by an order of magnitude, paving the way for applications in energy research, medical isotope production, and particle physics, e.g. a decisive search for sterile neutrinos through the IsoDAR experiment. For IsoDAR we go a step beyond just using $\mathrm{H}_2^+$ and add pre-bunching through a Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) embedded in the cyclotron yoke. This puts beam purity and beam quality constraints on the ion source that no published ion source has simultaneously demonstrated so far. Here, we report results from a new multicusp ion source (MIST-1) that produces the world's highest steady-state current of $\mathrm{H}_2^+$ from this type of ion source (1 mA), with exceptionally low emittance (0.05 $\pi$-mm-mrad, RMS, normalized) and high purity (80% $\mathrm{H}_2^+$). This result shows the feasibility of using a multicusp ion source for IsoDAR and the RFQ direct injection prototype, and paves the way to record breaking continuous wave (cw) beam currents of 5 mA $\mathrm{H}_2^+$ (equivalent to 10 mA protons) from compact cyclotrons, ideal for underground installation. This represents a significant advance, with impact on neutrino physics specifically and high power cyclotron design in general.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

Update on the IsoDAR 60 MeV/amu Cyclotron Acceleration Simulations

In this technical report, the work done by members of the DAE$\delta$ALUS collaboration on simulating the acceleration of 5 mA of H2+ in the IsoDAR compact isochronous cyclotron is summarized. The findings are that sufficient turn separation between the (N-1)th and Nth turn can be achieved with either initially matched but also with mismatched beams by careful placement of collimators to scrape away halo particles before the beam energy has reached 2 MeV/amu. Here we define "sufficient" as < 200 W beam loss on the septum. In the acceleration simulations, beam losses on the collimators vary from 10% to 25% depending on the initial beam conditions. The collimator placement in the central region, halo formation, and turn separation at the final turn are discussed. Finally, a scheme to further mitigate the risk of beam loss on the extraction septum by placing a narrow stripping foil in front of it is investigated. We also present the findings of a separate study subcontracted to the company AIMA, who investigated injection of H2+ ions through a spiral inflector and accelerating them for four turns. Here the reported beam loss before 2 MeV/amu was 58%, but bunches were not accelerated further, so we are not reporting this as a final result.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2019

OPAL a Versatile Tool for Charged Particle Accelerator Simulations

Many sophisticated computer models have been developed to understand the behaviour of particle accelerators. Even these complex models often do not describe the measured data. Interactions of the beam with external fields, other particles in the same beam and the beam walls all present modelling challenges. These can be challenging to model correctly even with modern supercomputers. This paper describes OPAL (Object Oriented Parallel Accelerator Library), a parallel open source tool for charged-particle optics in linear accelerators and rings, including 3D space charge. OPAL is built from the ground up as a parallel application exemplifying the fact that high performance computing is the third leg of science, complementing theory and experiment. Using the MAD language with extensions, OPAL can run on a laptop as well as on the largest high performance computing systems. The OPAL framework makes it easy to add new features in the form of new C++ classes, enabling the modelling of many physics processes and field types. OPAL comes in two flavours: OPAL-cycl: tracks particles with 3D space charge including neighbouring turns in cyclotrons and FFAs with time as the independent variable. OPAL-t: models beam lines, linacs, rf-photo injectors and complete XFELs excluding the undulator. The code is managed through the git distributed version control system. A suite of unit tests have been developed for various parts of OPAL, validating each part of the code independently. System tests validate the overall integration of different elements.

physics.acc-ph↗