On the calibration of direct-current current transformers

Modern commercial direct-current current transformers (DCCT) can measure currents up to the kA range with accuracies better than 1E-5. We discuss here a DCCT calibration method and its implementation with commercial instruments typically employed in low resistance calibration laboratories. The primary current ranges up to 2 kA; in the current range below \SI{100}{\ampere} the calibration uncertainty is better than 3E-7. An example of calibration of a high-performance DCCT specified for primary currents measurement up to 900 A is discussed in detail.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Trans. Instr. Meas. Copyright IEE

Contactless measurement of electric current using magnetic sensors

We review recent advances in magnetic sensors for DC/AC current transducers, especially novel AMR sensors and integrated fluxgates, and we make critical comparison of their properties. Most contactless electric current transducers use magnetic cores to concentrate the flux generated by the measured current and to shield the sensor against external magnetic fields. In order to achieve this, the magnetic core should be massive. We present coreless current transducers which are lightweight, linear and free of hysteresis and remanence. We also show how to suppress their weak point: crosstalk from external currents and magnetic fields

Demonstration of a beam loaded nanocoulomb-class laser wakefield accelerator.

Laser-plasma wakefield accelerators have seen tremendous progress, now capable of producing quasi-monoenergetic electron beams in the GeV energy range with few-femtoseconds bunch duration. Scaling these accelerators to the nanocoulomb range would yield hundreds of kiloamperes peak current and stimulate the next generation of radiation sources covering high-field THz, high-brightness X-ray and γ-ray sources, compact free-electron lasers and laboratory-size beam-driven plasma accelerators. However, accelerators generating such currents operate in the beam loading regime where the accelerating field is strongly modified by the self-fields of the injected bunch, potentially deteriorating key beam parameters. Here we demonstrate that, if appropriately controlled, the beam loading effect can be employed to improve the accelerator's performance. Self-truncated ionization injection enables loading of unprecedented charges of ∼0.5 nC within a mono-energetic peak. As the energy balance is reached, we show that the accelerator operates at the theoretically predicted optimal loading condition and the final energy spread is minimized.Higher beam quality and stability are desired in laser-plasma accelerators for their applications in compact light sources. Here the authors demonstrate in laser plasma wakefield electron acceleration that the beam loading effect can be employed to improve beam quality by controlling the beam charge

Calibrating an ice sheet model using high-dimensional binary spatial data

Rapid retreat of ice in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica may cause drastic sea level rise, posing significant risks to populations in low-lying coastal regions. Calibration of computer models representing the behavior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is key for informative projections of future sea level rise. However, both the relevant observations and the model output are high-dimensional binary spatial data; existing computer model calibration methods are unable to handle such data. Here we present a novel calibration method for computer models whose output is in the form of binary spatial data. To mitigate the computational and inferential challenges posed by our approach, we apply a generalized principal component based dimension reduction method. To demonstrate the utility of our method, we calibrate the PSU3D-ICE model by comparing the output from a 499-member perturbed-parameter ensemble with observations from the Amundsen Sea sector of the ice sheet. Our methods help rigorously characterize the parameter uncertainty even in the presence of systematic data-model discrepancies and dependence in the errors. Our method also helps inform environmental risk analyses by contributing to improved projections of sea level rise from the ice sheets

Remote photothermal actuation for calibration of in-phase and quadrature readout in a mechanically amplified Fabry-Pérot accelerometer

A mechanically amplified Fabry-Pérot optical accelerometer is reported in which photothermal actuation is used to calibrate the in-phase and quadrature (I&Q) readout. The Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) is formed between a gold-coated silicon mirror, situated in the middle of a V-beam amplifier, and the end surface of a cleaved optical fiber. On the opposite side of the silicon mirror, a further cleaved optical fiber transmits near-infrared laser light (λ = 785 nm), which is absorbed by the uncoated silicon causing heating. The thermal expansion of the V-beam is translated into an amplified change in cavity length of the FPI, large enough for the 2π-phase variation necessary for I&Q calibration. A simple 1D thermal analysis of the structure has been developed to predict the relationship between laser power and change in cavity length. A device having a V-beam of length 1.8 mm, width 20 μm, and angle 2 ° was found to undergo a cavity length change of 785 nm at 30 mW input power. The device response was approximately linear for input accelerations from 0.01 to 15 g. The noise was measured to be ~ 60 μg/√Hz from 100 Hz to 3.0 kHz, whereas the limit of detection was 47.7 mg from dc to 3.0 kHz

Conceptual design study for heat exhaust management in the ARC fusion pilot plant

The ARC pilot plant conceptual design study has been extended beyond its initial scope [B. N. Sorbom et al., FED 100 (2015) 378] to explore options for managing ~525 MW of fusion power generated in a compact, high field (B_0 = 9.2 T) tokamak that is approximately the size of JET (R_0 = 3.3 m). Taking advantage of ARC's novel design - demountable high temperature superconductor toroidal field (TF) magnets, poloidal magnetic field coils located inside the TF, and vacuum vessel (VV) immersed in molten salt FLiBe blanket - this follow-on study has identified innovative and potentially robust power exhaust management solutions.Comment: Accepted by Fusion Engineering and Desig

Production and Characterisation of SLID Interconnected n-in-p Pixel Modules with 75 Micrometer Thin Silicon Sensors

The performance of pixel modules built from 75 micrometer thin silicon sensors and ATLAS read-out chips employing the Solid Liquid InterDiffusion (SLID) interconnection technology is presented. This technology, developed by the Fraunhofer EMFT, is a possible alternative to the standard bump-bonding. It allows for stacking of different interconnected chip and sensor layers without destroying the already formed bonds. In combination with Inter-Chip-Vias (ICVs) this paves the way for vertical integration. Both technologies are combined in a pixel module concept which is the basis for the modules discussed in this paper. Mechanical and electrical parameters of pixel modules employing both SLID interconnections and sensors of 75 micrometer thickness are covered. The mechanical features discussed include the interconnection efficiency, alignment precision and mechanical strength. The electrical properties comprise the leakage currents, tuning characteristics, charge collection, cluster sizes and hit efficiencies. Targeting at a usage at the high luminosity upgrade of the LHC accelerator called HL-LHC, the results were obtained before and after irradiation up to fluences of $10^{16}$ $\mathrm{n}_{\mathrm{eq}}/\mathrm{cm}^2$ (1 MeV neutrons).Comment: 16 pages, 22 figure