Synchrophasotron

The synchrophasotron was a synchrotron particle accelerator with 208 m circumference at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna.

History

In 1944, Vladimir Iosifovich Weksler developed with the principle of Phasenfokusierung the basis for the construction of synchrotron accelerators. Under his leadership, the plans were drawn up for synchrophasotron in the years 1949 and 1950. The synchrophasotron went into operation in April 1957 and was associated with a proton energy of 10 GeV at that time the world's most powerful particle accelerator. In 1971 deuterium nuclei have been accelerated to an energy of 10 GeV first.

In a tunnel 3.7 m directly below the Synchrophasotrons the superconducting nuclotron was built in the years 1987-1992, which first went into operation in March 1992. Both systems shared the pre-accelerator and could the affiliated experimental stations provide.

From the year 1991, the operation of the Synchrophasotrons due to high electricity costs and low financial budget had to be severely restricted. The operation was discontinued in 2003.

Technology

When synchrophasotron is the last accelerator in the first generation synchrotron. This type is also called "constant gradient " - called synchrotron and has a maximum design large jet - cross section - or "weak focusing ". The air gap of the electro-magnets had dimensions of 40 cm x 2 m, the weight of the iron cores of the electromagnets was 36,000 tons. Later built synchrotrons such as the proton synchrotron or the alternating gradient synchrotron came through the "alternating gradient " - or "strong focusing " method with much smaller beam pipe cross-sections, and thus smaller magnet from.

In 1988, is in the beam focusing synchrophasotron "Alternating Gradient" retrofitted to asymmetrically disposed wedge-shaped spacers are in the air gap of the electromagnets used, so as to deform the magnetic field according to the previous calculations. Characterized the beam could be reduced to about 6x10 cm.

The synchrophasotron was only designed to accelerate protons. Later cores of light elements such as deuterium, helium, lithium, carbon, oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, and xenon has been accelerated. However, the acceleration of heavy ions proved to be caused by moderate vacuum quality and a weakly coupled Hochfrequezbeschleunigung as ineffective.

As a control computer models EC1010 and VT1010B the manufacturer Videoton came in the 70s used.