AWAKE

AWAKE
Maximilien Brice · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	AWAKE
Type	Particle physics experiment
Location	CERN, Meyrin, Switzerland
Start	2013
Status	Operational
Collaborators	European Organization for Nuclear Research, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Max Planck Institute, University of Manchester, University of California, Berkeley

AWAKE

AWAKE is a proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment at CERN near Geneva designed to explore novel techniques for accelerating charged particles using wakefields excited by high-energy proton beams. The project integrates expertise from institutions such as Imperial College London, Max Planck Society, University of Oxford, University of Manchester, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne to pursue compact, high-gradient acceleration that could impact facilities like Large Hadron Collider, Future Circular Collider, and accelerators used in experiments at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Fermilab. The collaboration connects accelerator physicists, plasma physicists, and instrumentation groups to bridge research carried out at DESY, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and national laboratories worldwide.

Overview

AWAKE investigates proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration using intense proton bunches from the Super Proton Synchrotron to drive large-amplitude wakefields in a long plasma cell. The experiment builds on theoretical work from groups at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, Los Angeles that extended wakefield concepts pioneered in electron-beam studies at SLAC, DESY, and European XFEL. AWAKE's aims intersect with programs such as High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider upgrades, proposals like the Compact Linear Collider, and plasma acceleration demonstrations performed at Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests.

Background and Development

AWAKE originated from proposals by researchers affiliated with Max Planck Institute for Physics, Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and University of Bern proposing to use the high energy density of proton bunches delivered by the Super Proton Synchrotron to excite wakefields over meter-scale plasmas. Early theoretical foundations referenced experiments at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory demonstrating electron-driven wakefields and numerical studies from teams at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CERN Theory Department, and University of Strathclyde. The collaboration formalized within CERN's experimental program and received technical support from groups at RAL, STFC, INFN, and CEA. Key technical milestones included plasma source design influenced by developments at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and beam diagnostic systems derived from instrumentation work at Paul Scherrer Institute.

Experimental Setup

AWAKE employs 400 GeV proton bunches delivered by the Super Proton Synchrotron and a rubidium vapor plasma cell several meters long to produce relativistic plasma wakefields. The injector, beam transport, and timing systems leverage technologies developed at CERN's Large Hadron Collider injector complex and instrumentation advances from Brookhaven National Laboratory and Fermilab. A laser system originating from collaborations with groups at Queen's University Belfast and University of Hamburg ionizes the vapor to form plasma and seeds the self-modulation instability; timing synchronization borrows techniques used at European XFEL and SwissFEL. Diagnostic suites include cameras, scintillators, and spectrometers adapted from detectors used at ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, and accelerator test facilities at DESY and RAL. The experiment integrates control and data acquisition systems developed with partners such as CERN IT, Hartree Centre, and National Centre for Atmospheric Science teams.

Results and Findings

AWAKE demonstrated the controlled self-modulation of long proton bunches into microbunches, confirming predictions from simulations produced by groups at Princeton University, University of Rostock, and Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. Measurements showed accelerating gradients orders of magnitude higher than conventional radio-frequency cavities, aligning with theoretical models from Imperial College London and numerical studies from Tech-X Corporation-affiliated teams. Wakefield phase stability and electron injection tests produced witness beams with energies verified using spectrometers and diagnostics calibrated against standards at Paul Scherrer Institute and DESY. Results informed beam-plasma interaction models referenced in reports by CERN Accelerator School and influenced design studies for staging and emittance preservation conducted at University of Manchester and University College London. Peer-reviewed findings were discussed at conferences such as International Particle Accelerator Conference, EPS Conference on Plasma Physics, and IPAC.

Applications and Future Directions

Outcomes from AWAKE motivate secondary-beam applications impacting proposed facilities like the Future Circular Collider, compact sources for X-ray Free-Electron Laser user communities, and advanced injector concepts for experiments at SLAC and Fermilab. Development pathways include scaling to higher repetition rates informed by engineering groups at Siemens, staging concepts studied by teams at CERN and Cockcroft Institute, and transfer lines compatible with experiments at European XFEL and SwissFEL. Future goals involve increasing beam quality and charge, integrating positron acceleration concepts explored at University of Hamburg, and pursuing collaborations with industrial partners such as Thales Group and TRUMPF for laser and vacuum technologies. The AWAKE program continues to coordinate with funding and policy bodies including European Commission Horizon programs, national research councils across United Kingdom Research and Innovation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and Swiss National Science Foundation to transition plasma wakefield techniques toward operational accelerator systems.

Category:Particle physics experiments