Ecological release in White Sands lizards

Ecological opportunity is any change that allows populations to escape selection from competition and predation. After encountering ecological opportunity, populations may experience ecological release: enlarged population size, broadened resource use, and/or increased morphological variation. We identified ecological opportunity and tested for ecological release in three lizard colonists of White Sands, New Mexico (Sceloporus undulatus, Holbrookia maculata, and Aspidoscelis inornata). First, we provide evidence for ecological opportunity by demonstrating reduced species richness and abundance of potential competitors and predators at White Sands relative to nearby dark soils habitats. Second, we characterize ecological release at White Sands by demonstrating density compensation in the three White Sands lizard species and expanded resource use in White Sands S. undulatus. Contrary to predictions from ecological release models, we observed directional trait change but not increased trait variation in S. undulatus. Our results suggest that ecological opportunity and ecological release can be identified in natural populations, especially those that have recently colonized isolated ecosystems

Thermal and Mechanical Analysis of the Radiation Shield Design for HiLumi LHC Crab Cavity Cryomodule

A prototype cryomodule to test the performance of the crab cavities for the HiLumi LHC is currently being designed and scheduled to be installed on SPS at CERN prior to LS2 (long shut down). The cryomodule design consists of a unique open access structure, facilitating loading of the cavity string from the sides. It also provides access to internal components quickly and easily, even after installation. Design of the radiation shield and the cooling scheme for introducing thermal intercepts at intermediate temperatures, particularly for the high power RF couplers, is critical to achieving a desired stability at the cavity operating temperature of 2K, as well as keeping the cooling power within the limits of the cryoplant available in the SPS test area at CERN. This paper describes the results of the thermal and mechanical analysis of the design for the radiation shield and thermal intercepts developed in the process

Characterisation of Magnetic Shielding Material for HL-LHC Crab Cavities

To guarantee optimum performance, the crab cavities for the high-luminosity upgrade of CERN's LHC need to be shielded from external magnetic fields. Consequently, they will be enclosed by two layers of magnetic shielding, of which the inner is immersed in superfluid helium at 2 K. A Ni-based high-permeability material with a tailored composition and a designated heat treatment is applied. Its magnetic properties at cryogenic temperature are however not yet fully assessed. Especially the effect of deformation on magnetic properties has not been thoroughly investigated, however strain effects may have severe consequences. A magnetic measurement set-up has been developed, and the magnetic permeability at room temperature and at cryogenic temperatures is evaluated, showing that the maximum relative permeability at 4 K exceeds the design criteria of 100, 000. Measurements of the magnetic permeability after introduction of uniaxial plastic deformation between 0% and 3% are conducted by means of an Epstein frame. Results show that deformation induces significant decrease of the magnetic performance, underlining that particular care must be taken during all stages of handling and operation

Engineering Study of Crab Cavity HOM Couplers for LHC High Luminosity Upgrade

The LHC is planning to employ crab cavities for the high luminosity upgrade. Old Dominion University and SLAC National Laboratory are developing a crab cavity completed with the HOM damping couplers [1]. The HOM couplers are coaxial type and perform over broadband up to 2 GHz. The amount of extracted power requires active cooling using liquid helium. The electromagnetic study has provided expected power dissipation on the coupler. Correlations between the fabrication tolerance and its damping performance have been studied and the results are providing guidelines on how to manufacture the HOM couplers. This paper summarizes the engineering studies; mechanical strength as a part of pressure system, thermal stability, and fabrication method to ensure the required tolerance

Design approach for the development of a cryomodule for compact crab cavities for Hi-Lumi LHC

A prototype Superconducting RF (SRF) cryomodule, comprising multiple compact crab cavities is foreseen to realise a local crab crossing scheme for the “Hi-Lumi LHC”, a project launched by CERN to increase the luminosity performance of LHC. A cryomodule with two cavities will be initially installed and tested on the SPS drive accelerator at CERN to evaluate performance with high-intensity proton beams. A series of boundary conditions influence the design of the cryomodule prototype, arising from; the complexity of the cavity design, the requirement for multiple RF couplers, the close proximity to the second LHC beam pipe and the tight space constraints in the SPS and LHC tunnels. As a result, the design of the helium vessel and the cryomodule has become extremely challenging. This paper assesses some of the critical cryogenic and engineering design requirements and describes an optimised cryomodule solution for the evaluation tests on SPS

Key Design Features of Crab-Cavity Cryomodule for HiLumi LHC

A prototype Superconducting RF (SRF) cryomodule, comprising multiple compact crab cavities is foreseen to realise a local crab crossing scheme for the “Hi-Lumi LHC”, a project launched by CERN to increase the luminosity performance of LHC. A cryomodule with two cavities will be initially installed and tested on the SPS drive accelerator at CERN to evaluate performance with high-intensity proton beams. STFC in collaboration with, University of Lancaster, CERN and FNAL has developed a concept cryomodule that has overcome most of the critical challenges imposed by a series of boundary conditions arising from; the complexity of the cavity design, the requirement for multiple RF couplers, the close proximity to the second LHC beam pipe and the tight space constraints in the SPS tunnel. This paper highlights some of the key design features of the cryomodule with the results of the associated mechanical and thermal analysis

Testing and Dressed Cavity Design for the HL-LHC 4R Crab Cavity

The High luminosity upgrade to the LHC (HL-LHC) calls for crab cavities to reduce the luminosity loss due to the crossing angle and help provide luminosity levelling. The 4 Rod Crab Cavity (4RCC) is one of three proposed options under consideration. A bare cavity has been prototyped and has undergone recent vertical tests and the results are presented. The dressed cavity includes a power coupler, a lower order mode coupler and two HOM couplers will be presented and discussed

Design of the thermal and magnetic shielding for the LHC High Luminosity Crab-Cavity upgrade

Before the High Luminosity (Hi-Lumi) upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), two pairs of superconducting compact Crab Cavities are to be tested within separate cryomodules, on the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN in 2018 prior to Long Shutdown 2. Two novel side-loaded cryomodules, which allow ease of access for assembly, inspection and maintenance, have been developed for the prototype tests. The cryomodule shielding includes a thermal shield and double layer magnetic shield, consisting of a warm-outer shield, and two cold-inner shields (one per cavity). Various constraints and considerations have led to unique cold shielding, mounted inside the cavity helium vessels, resulting in several design challenges. The shielding adopts and utilises the module’s side-loaded configuration, for continuity and accessibility, while satisfying tight spatial constraints and requirements to meet the functional specification. This paper outlines the design, analysis, manufacture and assembly of the Hi-Lumi SPS test cryomodule’s thermal and magnetic shielding, which are critical to achieving the operational stability

Prototype Development of the CLIC Crab Cavities

CLIC will require two crab cavities to align the beams to provide an effective head-on collision with a 20 mdeg crossing angle at the interaction point. An X-band system has been chosen for the crab cavities. Three prototype cavities have been developed in order to test the high power characteristics of these cavities. One cavity has been made by UK industry and one has been made using the same process as the CLIC main linac in order to gain understanding of breakdown behaviour in X-band deflecting cavities. The final cavity incorporates mode-damping waveguides on each cell which will eventually contain SiC dampers. This paper details the design, manufacture and preparation of these cavities for testing and a report on their status