Complete end-to-end simulations of antiproton transport, degradation and early trapping

Padden, Steven (2023) Complete end-to-end simulations of antiproton transport, degradation and early trapping. PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

One of the biggest questions in physics remains what happened to the antimatter produced in the early stages of the universe. Experimental setups at CERN capture and study antimatter, created via the interaction of a high energy beam with a static target, to investigate its properties. Antimatter is difficult to both produce and store, as such antimatter experiments at CERN rely on electrostatic transport lines to provide low energy antiprotons from a decelerator known as ELENA, which allows the storage of antiprotons within the ring at a record low energy of 100 keV. 100 keV, however, remains too high for trapping meaning degrader foils are routinely used to bring the energy of antiprotons down even further, but at a destructive cost to the beam. Following the degrader foil, experiments frequently use Penning-Malmberg catching traps to confine antiprotons, allowing for further manipulation and study. This work focuses on improving antiproton numbers stored within a catching trap. Initial simulations are made of the electrostatic transfer lines which carry antiprotons to various experiments within the AD-ELENA low energy antiproton hall. Following the transfer lines, an in depth study of the degrader foils is undertaken, using a combination of traditional simulation methods, and a newer approach using both density functional theory and molecular dynamics. Finally, simulations are made of a catching trapping in the presence of well modelled degrader foils and transfer lines, in order to present a full end-to-end simulation of antiproton transport following deceleration from ELENA until experimental trapping. This work represents the most complete simulation of end-to-end antiproton transport and capture found anywhere within the literature available.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Divisions:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Physical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	29 Aug 2023 13:19
Last Modified:	29 Aug 2023 13:19
DOI:	10.17638/03169266
Supervisors:	Welsch, Carsten Pusa, Petteri Kukstas, Egidijus
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3169266