Upgrade of the H−\mathrm{H^-}-injection system at the DESY proton Linac III

In the near future the injection system of the proton linac at DESY will be upgraded. Two different types of H$^−$-sources are operated at DESY. The new rf-driven volume source is free of cesium. On a long-term basis this source is planned to replace the present operating magnetron source. For reasons of reliability of the proton linac and for further developments of ion sources a parallel operation of two sources should be possible at the Alvarez linac. Each source has a separate RFQ to accelerate the ions to an energy of 750 keV. A new transport line with one dipole, 8 quadrupoles and one intermediate buncher was designed to match the beam between both RFQs and the Alvarez linac. The codes COPPOC and TRANSPORT were used to determine the length of the transport line and the parameters of the dipole and the buncher. Because of the high current of 20 mA and above the estimation of the space charge forces is of special interest. The macro-particlecode PARMTRA takes into account the particle-to-particle electric forces among all particles. The properties of the beam line have been studied in connection with the effects on the final beam quality after acceleration with the 50 MeV Alvarez linac

Technical Design Considerations About the SINBAD-ARES Linac

The SINBAD facility (Short and INnovative Bunches and Accelerators at Desy) is foreseen to host various experiments in the field of production of ultra-short electron bunches and novel high gradient acceleration technique. The SINBAD linac, also called ARES (Accelerator Research experiment at SINBAD), will be a conventional S-band linear RF accelerator allowing the production of low charge (0.5 pC - few pC) ultra-short electron bunches (FWHM, length <= 1 fs - few fs) having 100 MeV energy. In this paper we present the current status of the technical design considerations, motivate the foreseen diagnostics for the RF gun commissioning and present examples of foreseen applications

Beam-based commissioning of a novel X-band transverse deflection structure with variable polarization

Longitudinal electron-beam diagnostics play a critical role in the operation and control of x-ray free-electron lasers, which rely on parameters such as the current profile, the longitudinal phase space, or the slice emittance of the particle distribution. On the one hand, the femtosecond-scale electron bunches produced at these facilities impose stringent requirements on the resolution achievable with the diagnostics. On the other, research and development of novel accelerator technologies such as beam-driven plasma-wakefield accelerators (PWFA) demand unprecedented capabilities to resolve the centroid offsets in the full transverse plane along the longitudinal bunch coordinate. We present the beam-based commissioning of an advanced X-band transverse-deflection rf structure (TDS) system with the new feature of providing variable polarization of the deflecting force: the PolariX-TDS. By means of a comprehensive campaign of measurements conducted with the prototype, key parameters of the rf performance of the system are validated and a phase-space characterization of an electron bunch is accomplished with a time resolution of 3.3 fs. Furthermore, an analysis of second-order effects induced on the bunch from its passage through the PolariX-TDS is presented

Dynamic niche sharing in dry acidic grasslands -a N-15-labeling experiment

Stahl V, Beyschlag W, Werner C. Dynamic niche sharing in dry acidic grasslands -a N-15-labeling experiment. Plant and Soil. 2011;344(1-2):389-400.In this study we investigated the temporal variability of N-source utilization of pioneer plant species in different early successional stages of dry acidic grasslands. Current theory states that plant species occupy distinct ecological niches and that there are species-specific, temporal N-uptake patterns. We hypothesized that small-scale dynamics in the natural habitat may affect niche differentiation among plant species. We investigated N-uptake patterns of two co-occurring plant species from different functional groups (Corynephorus canescens, Rumex acetosella) under natural conditions using N-15-labeled nitrate and ammonium in three different early successional stages during early and late summer. We found (1) marked seasonal dynamics with respect to N-uptake and N-source partitioning, and (2) different uptake rates across successional stages but a similar N-form utilization of both species. Nitrate was the main N-source in the early and later successional stages, but a shift towards enhanced ammonium uptake occurred at the cryptogam stage in June. Both species increased N-uptake in the later successional stage in June, which was associated with increasing plant biomass in C. canescens, whereas R. acetosella showed no significant differences in plant biomass and root/shoot-ratio between successional stages. Ammonium uptake decreased in both species across all stages with increasing drought. Nevertheless, the peak time of N-uptake differed between the successional stages: in the early successional site, with the lowest soil N, plants were able to extend N-uptake into the drier season when uptake rates in the other successional stages had already declined markedly. Hence, we found a pronounced adjustment in the realized niches of co-occurring plant species with respect to N-uptake. Our results indicate that ecological niches can be highly dynamic and that niche sharing between plant species may occur instead of niche partitioning

Beam-based commissioning of a novel X-band transverse deflection structure with variable polarization

Longitudinal electron-beam diagnostics play a critical role in the operation and control of x-ray free-electron lasers, which rely on parameters such as the current profile, the longitudinal phase space, or the slice emittance of the particle distribution. On the one hand, the femtosecond-scale electron bunches produced at these facilities impose stringent requirements on the resolution achievable with the diagnostics. On the other, research and development of novel accelerator technologies such as beam-driven plasma-wakefield accelerators (PWFA) demand unprecedented capabilities to resolve the centroid offsets in the full transverse plane along the longitudinal bunch coordinate. We present the beam-based commissioning of an advanced X-band transverse-deflection rf structure (TDS) system with the new feature of providing variable polarization of the deflecting force: the PolariX-TDS. By means of a comprehensive campaign of measurements conducted with the prototype, key parameters of the rf performance of the system are validated and a phase-space characterization of an electron bunch is accomplished with a time resolution of 3.3 fs. Furthermore, an analysis of second-order effects induced on the bunch from its passage through the PolariX-TDS is presented

High competitiveness of a resource demanding invasive acacia under low resource supply

Werner C, Zumkier U, Beyschlag W, Maguas C. High competitiveness of a resource demanding invasive acacia under low resource supply. PLANT ECOLOGY. 2010;206(1):83-96.Mechanisms controlling the successful invasion of resource demanding species into low-resource environments are still poorly understood. Well-adapted native species are often considered superior competitors under stressful conditions. Here we investigate the competitive ability of the resource demanding alien Acacia longifolia, which invades nutrient-poor Mediterranean sand dunes such as in coastal areas of Portugal. We explore the hypothesis that drought may limit invasion in a factorial competition experiment of the alien invasive versus two native species of different functional groups (Halimium halimifolium, Pinus pinea), under well-watered and drought conditions. Changes in biomass, allocation pattern, and N-uptake-efficiency (via N-15-labeling) indicated a marked drought sensitivity of the invader. However, highly efficient drought adaptations of the native species did not provide a competitive advantage under water limiting conditions. The competitive strength of H. halimifolium towards the alien invader under well-watered conditions turned into a positive interaction between both species under drought. Further, low resource utilization by native species benefited A. longifolia by permitting continued high nitrogen uptake under drought. Hence, the N-fixing invader expresses low plasticity by continuous high resource utilization, even under low resource conditions. The introduction of novel traits into a community like N-fixation and high resource use may promote A. longifolia invasiveness through changes in the physical environment, i.e., the water and nutrient cycle of the invaded sand dune system, thereby potentially disrupting the co-evolved interactions within the native plant community

Virtual Reality for Anxiety Disorders: Rethinking a Field in Expansion

The principal aim to this chapter is to present the latest ideas in virtual reality (VR), some of which have already been applied to the field of anxiety disorders, and others are still pending to be materialized. More than 20 years ago, VR emerged as an exposure tool in order to provide patients and therapists with more appealing ways of delivering a technique that was undoubtedly effective but also rejected and thus underused. Throughout these years, many improvements were achieved. The first section of the chapter describes those improvements, both considering the research progresses and the applications in the real world. In a second part, our main interest is to expand the discussion of the new applications of VR beyond its already known role as an exposure tool. In particular, VR is enabling the materialization of numerous ideas that were previously confined to a merely philosophical discussion in the field of cognitive sciences. That is, VR has the enormous potential of providing feasible ways to explore nonclassical ways of cognition, such as embodied and situated information processing. Despite the fact that many of these developments are not fully developed, and not specifically designed for anxiety disorders, we want to introduce these new ideas in a context in which VR is experiencing an enormous transformation