Estimation of the energy deposited on the CNGS magnetic horn and reflector

In the CNGS (Cern Neutrino to Gran Sasso) installation two magnetic lenses, namely the horn and the reflector, focus the secondary beam generated in the target station. The gap between the horn and reflector is chosen to optimize a wide-band high-energy muon-neutrino beam. These two focusing elements are two coaxial lenses: the outer conductor has a cylindrical shape whereas the inner conductor consists of a sequence of conical shapes to optimize the focusing capacity. The evaluation of the heat load on the support structures is crucial since modifications in the elements around the horn and reflector are under way and the support structures can be adapted to the heat load found. Furthermore, the heat load in the whole horn area has been evaluated to optimize the cooling-ventilation system. The energy deposited on the horn and reflector as well as on their adjacent elements has been estimated using the FLUKA Monte Carlo package and results are presented in this paper. The FLUKA geometry input of the horn and reflector electrical connections has been notably improved in order to accommodate the detailed striplines design to the thermal expansion

CAUSTIQUES EN CHAMP PROCHE GENEREES PAR DES PARTICULES TRANSPARENTES RECONSTRUCTION PAR HOLOGRAPHIE NUMERIQUE EN LIGNE

International audienceL'holographie numerique en ligne est une technique d'imagerie volumetrique particulierement adaptee a la caracterisation spatiale (position, vitesse et tailles/morphologies) des ecoulements particulaires dilues. Dans de nombreux domaines la connaissance de la composition des particules est aussi d'un grand interet. Nous realisons cette mesure avec l'holographie numerique en ligne par l'analyse du champ proche des particules. Dans cette region les contributions des differents processus de diffusion de la lumiere peuvent etre plus facilement distinguees et notamment les caracteristiques du jet photonique (caustique vers l'avant generee par les rayons simplement refractes). La localisation dans l'espace du maximum d'intensite de cette caustique permet d'estimer l'indice de refraction relatif des particules. Dans cette communication, nous montrons que, dans le cadre de l'approximation de Fresnel de la diffraction scalaire, le jet photonique reconstruit par holographie numerique correspond a la tache d'Airy d'une lentille spherique. Par analogie avec les notions d'images virtuelles et reelles employees en optique pour les lentilles convergentes et divergentes, cette tache est restituee de facon reelle pour les particules ayant un indice relatif superieur a un et de facon virtuelle pour les particules dont l'indice relatif est plus petit que l'unite. Ceci fournit une solution simple et numeriquement tres efficace pour differencier ou caracteriser la composition des particules solides, liquides ou gazeuses. Une validation experimentale en laboratoire sur un ecoulement triphasique montre qu'il est desormais possible d'obtenir simultanement la position dans l'espace, la vitesse, la trajectoire, la taille et la composition de particules en ecoulement

Expected signal for the TBID and the ionization chambers downstream of the CNGS target station

Downstream of the carbon graphite target of the CNGS (CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso) facility at CERN a secondary emission monitor called TBID (Target Beam Instrumentation Downstream) is installed to measure the multiplicities and the left/right as well as up/down asymmetries of secondary particles from the target. Calculations show that the titanium windows used to close off the TBID vacuum tank might not withstand the highest beam intensities with small spot sizes expected at CNGS, in case the proton beam accidentally misses the 4-5 mm diameter target rods. Therefore it has been suggested to place two ionisation chambers as a backup for the TBID, located left and right of the TBID monitor. Monte Carlo simulations with the particle transport code FLUKA were performed firstly to obtain the fluence of charged particles in the region of interest and secondly to estimate the induced radioactivity (background signal) in this area. This allows to assess the actual signal/noise situation and thus to determine the optimal position of the ionisation chambers. This paper presents the results of these calculations

Dynamics of femtosecond laser absorption of fused silica in the ablation regime

International audienceWe investigate the ultrafast absorption dynamics of fused silica irradiated by a single 500 fs laser pulse in the context of micromachining applications. A 60-fs-resolution pump-probe experiment that measures the reflectivity and transmissivity of the target under excitation is developed to reveal the evolution of plasma absorption. Above the ablation threshold, an overcritical plasma with highly non-equilibrium conditions is evidenced in a thin layer at the surface. The maximum electron density is reached at a delay of 0:5 ps after the peak of the pump pulse, which is a strong indication of the occurrence of electronic avalanche. The results are further analyzed to determine the actual feedback of the evolution of the optical properties of the material on the pump pulse. We introduce an important new quantity, namely, the duration of absorption of the laser by the created plasma, corresponding to the actual timespan of laser absorption by inverse Bremsstrahlung. Our results indicate an increasing contribution of plasma absorption to the total material absorption upon raising the excitation fluence above the ablation threshold. The role of transient optical properties during the energy deposition stage is characterized and our results emphasize the necessity to take it into account for better understanding and control of femtosecond laser-dielectrics interaction

Laser-fabricated porous alumina membranes (LF-PAM) for the preparation of metal nanodot arrays

We report on an efficient photonic-based method to prepare nanodot array of functional materials, independently of the nature of the substrate.Comment: Small (2008) Accepte

An updated Monte Carlo calculation of the CNGS neutrino beam

The new release of the CNGS neutrino beam simulation, which describes the beam-line features according to its final design, and its main results are presented and discussed. Storage of neutrino identity, energy and history in n-tuple format is also described, so that the experiments at the Gran Sasso can fully exploit all the informations from beam simulations

Possible surface plasmon polariton excitation under femtosecond laser irradiation of silicon

The mechanisms of ripple formation on silicon surface by femtosecond laser pulses are investigated. We demonstrate the transient evolution of the density of the excited free-carriers. As a result, the experimental conditions required for the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons are revealed. The periods of the resulting structures are then investigated as a function of laser parameters, such as the angle of incidence, laser fluence, and polarization. The obtained dependencies provide a way of better control over the properties of the periodic structures induced by femtosecond laser on the surface of a semiconductor material.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Applied Physic

The so-called dry laser cleaning governed by humidity at the nanometer scale

Illumination with single nanosecond pulses leads to the detachment of silica particles with 250nm radii from siliconsurfaces. We identify two laser-energy dependent cleaning regimes by time-of-flight particle-scattering diagnostics. For the higher energies, the ejection of particles is produced by nanoscale ablation due to the laser field enhancement at the particle-surface interface. The damage-free regime at lower energy is shown to be governed by the residual water molecules, which are inevitably trapped on the materials. We discuss the great importance that the humidity plays on the cleaning force and on the adhesion in the experiments.Peer reviewe

Nine years of experimental warming did not influence the thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate in the medaka fish Oryzias latipes

A pressing challenge is to determine whether and how global-change drivers influence species physiology and survival. Recently, researchers have proposed the metabolic theory of ecology, defending the hypothesis of a universal thermal dependence of metabolic rate or, alternatively, the metabolic cold adaptation theory, stating that local adaptation can influence the thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate. However, the long-term (i.e. multigenerational) consequences of warming for the thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate remain largely unexplored although it determines energy use and is crucial for species response to climate change. In this study, we used an evolutionary experiment with medaka fishes Oryzias latipes maintained for more than 12 generations at warm and cold temperatures (30 and 20°C, respectively) to address this issue. Our objective was to investigate whether thermal adaptation influences the relationship between temperature and mass-corrected metabolic rate and how this may occur. In agreement with the universal thermal dependence hypothesis, we found that warming did not significantly influence the thermal sensitivity of mass-corrected metabolic rate: neither the intercept nor the slope of the temperature–metabolic rate relationship differed among fish lineages. Our small-scale laboratory experiment thus indicated that there is limited potential for evolutionary change in medaka fish metabolic rate in response to warmer temperatures. Overall, we provide evidence that 9 years of experimental warming did not influence the thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate. Our results highlight the invariability of the thermal dependence of metabolic rate, which has important implications for adaptation to climate warming. This finding suggests a limited potential for metabolic adaptations in response to long-term temperature changes, which may have negative consequences for the persistence of fish populations under climate change

Femtosecond laser ablation of cemented carbides: properties and tribological applications

Laser ablation with fs laser pulses was performed in air on cobalt cemented tungsten carbide by means of a Ti : sapphire laser (800nm, 100fs). Small and moderate fluences (2, 5, 10J/cm2) and up to 5×104 pulses per irradiated spot were used to drill holes with aspect ratios up to 10. Cross-section cuts from laser-irradiated samples were produced and they were analysed with optical microscopy and SEM. EDX analyses were carried out on selected zones. Quasi-cylindrical holes were found for 2J/cm2, whereas for 5 and 10J/cm2 irregular shapes (lobes, bottoms wider than hole entrances) were found to occur after a given number of incident pulses. Layers with modified structure were evidenced at pore walls. SEM revealed a denser structure, while EDX analyses showed uniform and almost similar contents of W, C, and Co in these layers. As a direct application, patterning of coated WC-Co was carried out with 2J/cm2 and 100 pulses per pore. The resulted surfaces were tribologically tested and these tests revealed an improved friction and wear behaviou