CERN HiRadMat

CERN HiRadMat
Name	HiRadMat
Location	CERN, Meyrin, Switzerland
Established	2009
Operator	CERN
Purpose	High-intensity pulsed beam impacts on materials and components
Coordinates	46.2333°N 6.0550°E

CERN HiRadMat HiRadMat is a high-intensity pulsed beam test facility at CERN that provides controlled beam impacts for studies of material response, failure modes, and survivability of accelerator components. It supports research on targets, collimators, absorbers, and diagnostics used in high-energy physics and related engineering, facilitating experiments that complement work at Large Hadron Collider, Super Proton Synchrotron, Proton Synchrotron Booster, Aalto University Particle Therapy, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and DESY. The facility interfaces with accelerator projects, industrial partners, and academic institutions for cross-disciplinary testing and validation.

Overview

HiRadMat was conceived to address failure scenarios relevant to large accelerator installations and to validate numerical models and materials databases used by projects such as High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, Compact Linear Collider, Future Circular Collider, ITER, and Spallation Neutron Source. The facility’s program integrates simulation efforts from groups at CERN Theoretical Physics Department, University of Oxford Department of Physics, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Manchester, California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Tsinghua University, Kyoto University, and Purdue University. HiRadMat experiments support component design efforts for accelerators, targets for neutrino facilities like CERN Neutrino Platform, and applications in space engineering with agencies such as European Space Agency and NASA.

Facility and Beamline

The HiRadMat installation is located on the CERN Meyrin site and receives extracted beam pulses from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). The beamline design accommodates proton pulses with parameters relevant to accelerator accident scenarios studied for Large Hadron Collider protection systems and for material testing used in neutron spallation targets. The experimental area includes heavy shielding, remote handling cells, and modular test stands designed in collaboration with CERN EN-MME, CERN EN-STI, CERN EN-ICE, and engineering teams from European Organization for Nuclear Research partner laboratories. Beam extraction, transport, and diagnostics integrate technologies developed at CERN BE Department, Diamond Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Institut Laue-Langevin.

Experimental Capabilities and Instrumentation

HiRadMat supports experiments utilizing fast diagnostics such as high-speed photography, streak cameras, laser Doppler vibrometry, and infrared thermography developed with groups at University of Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, ANL Materials Science Division, and CEA Saclay. Instrumentation includes beam position monitors inherited from CERN Beam Instrumentation Group, loss monitors comparable to those in Large Hadron Collider collimation systems, and time-resolved particle detectors similar to devices used at CERN ISOLDE and CERN n_TOF. High-precision strain gauges, acoustic emission sensors, and X-ray radiography stations have been integrated through collaborations with European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, HASYLAB, and Diamond Light Source.

Key Experiments and Results

Notable HiRadMat campaigns have investigated material spallation and shock response for tungsten, copper, graphite, and advanced alloys used in collimator jaws and target assemblies, informing design choices for High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and neutrino beam targets for CERN Neutrino Platform. Experiments validated hydrodynamic and thermo-mechanical simulations from codes developed at Institute of Fluid Dynamics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and CEA and supported failure analyses relevant to beam dump design studied by groups at Fermilab and KEK. Results on melt thresholds, cracking, and phase changes contributed to material selection efforts at European Spallation Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and industrial partners in Areva-class supply chains. Data from HiRadMat have been cited in design reviews for High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider collimation upgrades and for radiation-tolerant component qualification in projects linked to ITER and CERN Neutrino Platform.

Safety, Operations, and Radiation Protection

HiRadMat operations are governed by CERN safety policies and radiological protection frameworks coordinated with Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, Autorité de sûreté nucléaire, and internal CERN Safety Commission procedures. Shielding design, remote handling, and post-irradiation examination capabilities were developed with input from Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Health Protection Agency, Paul Scherrer Institute, and national regulatory authorities. Operational readiness reviews, fault analyses, and interlock systems draw on methodologies used at Large Hadron Collider, ISOLDE, and n_TOF facilities to ensure personnel safety and environmental protection during high-intensity pulse tests.

Collaborations and Users

HiRadMat hosts users from universities, national laboratories, and industry, including teams from CERN, European Space Agency, Fermilab, Brookhaven National Laboratory, DESY, KEK, GSI Helmholtz Centre, RAL, Czech Technical University, University of Geneva, Politecnico di Milano, TU Darmstadt, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and others. Collaborative frameworks include joint experiments with the CERN Accelerator Beam Physics Group, multi-institutional consortia funded by European Commission programs, and bilateral agreements with institutes like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and National Institute for Materials Science. User support encompasses technical design reviews, sample preparation, in-situ instrumentation, and post-irradiation analysis coordinated with CERN EN-ICE and national labs.

Future Developments and Upgrades

Planned upgrades aim to expand beam parameter flexibility, increase diagnostic bandwidth, and add hot-cell post-irradiation examination infrastructure in partnership with European Spallation Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, and industry vendors. Future experiments will target materials for next-generation facilities such as Future Circular Collider, prototype elements for High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider upgrade phases, and components relevant to space radiation resilience studies with European Space Agency and NASA collaborations. Development roadmaps are coordinated with accelerator roadmap efforts at CERN, regional laboratories, and international consortia to align HiRadMat capabilities with evolving research needs.

Category:CERN facilities Category:Particle accelerator experiments