195 research outputs found
Dynamic Stresses in the LHC TCDS Diluter from 7 TeV Beam Loading
In the event of an unsynchronised beam abort, the MSD extraction septum of the LHC beam dumping system is protected from damage by the TCDS diluter. The simultaneous constraints of obtaining sufficient beam dilution while ensuring the survival of the TCDS make the design difficult, with high thermally induced dynamic stresses occurring in the material needed to attenuate the particle showers induced by the primary beam impact. In this paper, full 3D simulations are described where the worst-case beam loading has been used to generate the local temperature rise and to follow the resulting time evolution of the mechanical stresses. The results and the accompanying design changes for the TCDS, to provide an adequate performance margin, are detailed
Design of the LHC Beam Dump Entrance Window
7 TeV proton beams from the LHC are ejected through a 600 m long beam dump transfer line vacuum chamber to a beam dump block. The dump block is contained within an inert gas-filled vessel to prevent a possible fire risk. The dump vessel and transfer line are separated by a 600 mm diameter window, which must withstand both the static pressure load and thermal shock from the passage of the LHC beam. In a previous paper [1] the functional requirements and conceptual design of this window were outlined. This paper describes the analysis leading to the final design of the window. The choice of materials is explained and tests performed on the prototype window are summarized
Results of the studies on energy deposition in IR6 superconducting magnets from continuous beam loss on the TCDQ system
A single sided mobile graphite diluter block TCDQ, in combination with a two-sided secondary collimator TCS and an iron shield TCDQM, will be installed in front of the superconducting quadrupole Q4 magnets in IR6, in order to protect it and other downstream LHC machine elements from destruction in the event of a beam dump that is not synchronised with the abort gap. The TCDQ will be positioned close to the beam, and will intercept the particles from the secondary halo during low beam lifetime. Previous studies (1-4) have shown that the energy deposited in the Q4 magnet coils can be close to or above the quench limit. In this note the results of the latest FLUKA energy deposition simulations for Beam 2 are described, including an upgrade possibility for the TCDQ system with an additional shielding device. The results are discussed in the context of the expected performance levels for the different phases of LHC operation
Beam Halo on the LHC TCDQ Diluter System and Thermal Load on the Downstream Superconducting Magnets
The moveable single-jawed graphite TCDQ diluter must be positioned very close to the circulating LHC beam in order to prevent damage to downstream components in the event of an unsynchronised beam abort. A two-jawed graphite TCS.IR6 collimator forms part of the TCDQ system. The requirement to place the jaws close to the beam means that the system can intercept a substantial beam halo load. Initial investigations indicated a worryingly high heat load on the Q4 coils. This paper presents the updated load cases, shielding and simulation geometry, and the results of simulations of the energy deposition in the TCDQ system and in the downstream superconducting Q4 magnet. The implications for the operation of the LHC are discussed
Unusual T_c variation with hole concentration in Bi_2Sr_{2-x}La_xCuO_{6+\delta}
We have investigated the variation with the hole concentration in
the La-doped Bi 2201 system, BiSrLaCuO. It is
found that the Bi 2201 system does not follow the systematics in and
observed in other high- cuprate superconductors (HTSC's). The vs
characteristics are quite similar to what observed in Zn-doped HTSC's. An
exceptionally large residual resistivity component in the inplane resistivity
indicates that strong potential scatterers of charge carriers reside in CuO
planes and are responsible for the unusual variation with , as in the
Zn-doped systems. However, contrary to the Zn-doped HTSC's, the strong scatter
in the Bi 2201 system is possibly a vacancy in the Cu site.Comment: RevTeX, 3 figures, to be published in the Physical Review
Association of a genetic polymorphism (-44 C/G SNP) in the human DEFB1 gene with expression and inducibility of multiple β-defensins in gingival keratinocytes
BACKGROUND: Human β-defensins (hBDs) are antimicrobial peptides with a role in innate immune defense. Our laboratory previously showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 5' untranslated region of the hBD1 gene (DEFB1), denoted -44 (rs1800972), is correlated with protection from oral Candida. Because this SNP alters the putative mRNA structure, we hypothesized that it alters hBD1 expression. METHODS: Transfection of reporter constructs and evaluation of antimicrobial activity and mRNA expression levels in keratinocytes from multiple donors were used to evaluate the effect of this SNP on constitutive and induced levels of expression. RESULTS: Transfection of CAT reporter constructs containing the 5' untranslated region showed that the -44 G allele yielded a 2-fold increase in CAT protein compared to other common haplotypes suggesting a cis effect on transcription or translation. The constitutive hBD1 mRNA level in human oral keratinocytes was significantly greater in cells from donors with the -44 GG genotype compared to those with the common CC genotype. Surprisingly, the hBD3 mRNA level as well as antimicrobial activity of keratinocyte extracts also correlated with the -44 G allele. Induced levels of hBD1, hBD2, and hBD3 mRNA were evaluated in keratinocytes challenged with Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 ligands, interleukin-1β, TNFα, and interferon-γ (IFNγ). In contrast to constitutive expression levels, IFNγ-induced keratinocyte hBD1 and hBD3 mRNA expression was significantly greater in cells with the common CC genotype, but there was no clear correlation of genotype with hBD2 expression. CONCLUSION: The DEFB1 -44 G allele is associated with an increase in overall constitutive antimicrobial activity and expression of hBD1 and hBD3 in a manner that is consistent with protection from candidiasis, while the more common C allele is associated with IFNγ inducibility of these β-defensins and is likely to be more protective in conditions that enhance IFNγ expression such as chronic periodontitis. These results suggest a complex relationship between genetics and defensin expression that may influence periodontal health and innate immune responses
The Search for Higher in Houston
It is a great pleasure to be invited to join the chorus on this auspicious
occasion to celebrate Professor K. Alex Mueller's 90th birthday by Professors
Annette Bussman-Holder, Hugo Keller, and Antonio Bianconi. As a student in high
temperature superconductivity, I am forever grateful to Professor Alex Mueller
and Dr. Georg Bednorz "for their important breakthrough in the discovery of
superconductivity in the ceramic materials" in 1986 as described in the
citation of their 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics. It is this breakthrough
discovery that has ushered in the explosion of research activities in high
temperature superconductivity (HTS) and has provided immense excitement in HTS
science and technology in the ensuing decades till now. Alex has not been
resting on his laurels and has continued to search for the origin of the
unusual high temperature superconductivity in cuprates.Comment: Dedicated to Alex Mueller, whose "important breakthrough in the
discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials" in 1986 has changed the
world of superconductivit
Anomalous peak in the superconducting condensate density of cuprate high T_{c} superconductors at a unique critical doping state
The doping dependence of the superconducting condensate density, n_{s}^{o},
has been studied by muon-spin-rotation for
Y_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Ba_{2}(Cu_{1-z}Zn_{z})_{3}O_{7-\delta} and
Tl_{0.5-y}Pb_{0.5+y}Sr_{2}Ca_{1-x}Y_{x}Cu_{2}O_{7}. We find that n_{s}^{o}
exhibits a pronounced peak at a unique doping state in the slightly overdoped
regime. Its position coincides with the critical doping state where the normal
state pseudogap first appears depleting the electronic density of states. A
surprising correlation between n_{s}^{o} and the condensation energy U_{o} is
observed which suggests unconventional behavior even in the overdoped region.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Origin of the Pseudogap in High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors
Cuprate high-temperature superconductors exhibit a pseudogap in the normal
state that decreases monotonically with increasing hole doping and closes at x
\approx 0.19 holes per planar CuO2 while the superconducting doping range is
0.05 < x < 0.27 with optimal Tc at x \approx 0.16. Using ab initio quantum
calculations at the level that leads to accurate band gaps, we found that
four-Cu-site plaquettes are created in the vicinity of dopants. At x \approx
0.05 the plaquettes percolate, so that the Cu dx2y2/O p{\sigma} orbitals inside
the plaquettes now form a band of states along the percolating swath. This
leads to metallic conductivity and below Tc to superconductivity. Plaquettes
disconnected from the percolating swath are found to have degenerate states at
the Fermi level that split and lead to the pseudogap. The pseudogap can be
calculated by simply counting the spatial distribution of isolated plaquettes,
leading to an excellent fit to experiment. This provides strong evidence in
favor of inhomogeneous plaquettes in cuprates.Comment: 24 pages (4 pages main text plus 20 pages supplement
The Superconductivity, Intragrain Penetration Depth and Meissner Effect of RuSr2(Gd,Ce)2Cu2O10+delta
The hole concentration (p)(delta), the transition temperature Tc, the
intragrain penetration depth lambda, and the Meissner effect were measured for
annealed RuSr2(Gd,Ce)2Cu2O10+delta samples. The intragrain superconducting
transition temperature Tc} varied from 17 to 40 K while the p changed by only
0.03 holes/CuO2. The intragrain superfluid-density 1/lambda^2 and the
diamagnetic drop of the field-cooled magnetization across Tc (the Meissner
effect), however, increased more than 10 times. All of these findings are in
disagreement with both the Tc vs. p and the Tc vs. 1/lambda^2 correlations
proposed for homogeneous cuprates, but are in line with a possible
phase-separation and the granularity associated with it.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (May 2,
2002
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