arXiv subjects

W. Lynn

Publications and source records attributed to W. Lynn.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Nanosecond timescale plasticity in shock-compressed polycrystalline MgO: evidence for transition in mechanism above 100 GPa

The mechanical properties of ceramics under extreme conditions directly impact applications ranging from shielding spacecrafts, designing plasma facing materials in nuclear fusion to understanding the rheology of deep planetary interiors. Here, we use polycrystalline MgO as a model ceramic to understand the high-pressure-temperature mechanical behaviour of such materials under extreme strain rates. We use laser-driven shock compression up to 175(15) GPa on the principal Hugoniot along with ultrafast diagnostics at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser to probe the dominant deformation mechanisms with changing P -T conditions. These near-instantaneous time-resolved snapshots, coupled with elasto-viscoplastic self-consistent (EVPSC) simulations, strongly suggest that MgO attains plastic regime in the nanoseconds scale accompanied by a pressure-mediated change in dominant slip system between 95 and 175 GPa. This work provides a new direct window into the deformation dynamics of polycrystalline ceramics under high-velocity impacts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Single-shot, transverse self-wakefield reconstruction from screen images

A single-shot method to reconstruct the transverse self-wakefields acting on a beam, based only on screen images, is introduced. By employing numerical optimization with certain approximations, a relatively high-dimensional parameter space is efficiently explored to determine the multipole components of the transverse-wakefield topology up to desired order. The reconstruction technique complements simulations, which are able to directly describe the wakefield composition based on experimental conditions. The technique is applied to representative simulation results as a benchmark, and also to experimental data on wakefield observations driven in dielectric-lined structures.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2022

Beam shaping using an ultra-high vacuum multileaf collimator and emittance exchange beamline

We report the development of a multileaf collimator (MLC) for charged particle beams, based on independently actuated tungsten strips which can selectively scatter unwanted particles. The MLC is used in conjunction with an emittance exchange beamline to rapidly generate highly variable longitudinal bunch profiles. The developed MLC consists of 40 independent leaves that are 2 mm wide and can move up to 10 mm, and operates in an ultra high vacuum environment, enabled by novel features such as magnetically coupled actuation. An experiment at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator, which previously used inflexible, laser-cut masks for beam shaping before an emittance exchange beamline, was conducted to test functionality. The experiment demonstrated myriad transverse mask silhouettes, as measured on a scintillator downstream of the MLC and the corresponding longitudinal profiles after emittance exchange, as measured using a transverse deflecting cavity. Rapidly changing between mask shapes enables expeditious execution of various experiments without the downtime associated with traditional methods. The many degrees of freedom of the MLC can enable optimization of experimental figures of merit using feed-forward control and advanced machine learning methods.

physics.acc-ph↗