The continuous monitoring of the transverse sizes of the beams in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) relies on the use of synchrotron radiation and intensified video cameras. Depending on the beam energy, different synchrotron light sources must be used. A dedicated superconducting undulator has been built for low beam energies (450 GeV to 1.5 TeV), while edge and centre radiation from a beam-separation dipole magnet are used respectively for intermediate and high energies (up to 7 TeV). The emitted visible photons are collected using a retractable mirror, which sends the light into an optical system adapted for acquisition using intensified CCD cameras. This paper presents the design of the imaging system, and compares the expected light intensity with measurements and the calculated spatial resolution with a cross calibration performed with the wire scanners. Upgrades and future plans are also discussed.

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The Facility for AdvancedAccelerator and Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is designed to deliver a beam with a transverse spot size on the order of 10 {micro}m x 10 {micro}m in a new beamline constructed at the two kilometer point of the SLAC linac. Commissioning the beamline requires mitigating alignment errors and their effects, which can be significant and result in spot sizes orders of magnitude larger. Sextupole and quadrupole alignment errors in particular can introduce errors in focusing, steering, and dispersion which can result in spot size growth, beta mismatch, and waist movement. Alignment errors due to static misalignments, mechanical jitter, energy jitter, and other physical processes can be analyzed to determine the level of accuracy and precision that the beamline requires. It is important to recognize these effects and their tolerances in order to deliver a beam as designed.

Spatial extension is an important characteristic for correctly associating {gamma}-ray-emitting sources with their counterparts at other wavelengths and for obtaining an unbiased model of their spectra. We present a new method for quantifying the spatial extension of sources detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary science instrument on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). We perform a series of Monte Carlo simulations to validate this tool and calculate the LAT threshold for detecting the spatial extension of sources. We then test all sources in the second Fermi -LAT catalog (2FGL) for extension. We report the detection of seven new spatially extended sources.

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This paper describes an optimization of the detector configuration, based on the Shannon-Nyquist theory, for two major x-ray diagnostic systems on tokamaks and stellarators: x-ray imaging crystal spectrometers and x-ray pinhole cameras. Typically, the spectral data recorded with pixilated detectors are oversampled, meaning that the same spectral information could be obtained using fewer pixels. Using experimental data from Alcator C-Mod, we quantify the degree of oversampling and propose alternate uses for the redundant pixels for additional diagnostic applications.

Compact laser-plasma accelerators can produce high energy electron beams with low emittance, high peak current but a rather large energy spread. The large energy spread hinders the potential applications for coherent FEL radiation generation. In this paper, we discuss a method to compensate the effects of beam energy spread by introducing a transverse field variation into the FEL undulator. Such a transverse gradient undulator together with a properly dispersed beam can greatly reduce the effects of electron energy spread and jitter on FEL performance. We present theoretical analysis and numerical simulations for SASE and seeded extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray FELs based on laser plasma accelerators.

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Photons produced by the betatron oscillation of electrons in a beam-driven plasma wake provide a uniquely intense and high-energy source of hard X-rays and gamma rays. This betatron radiation is interesting not only for its high intensity and spectral characteristics, but also because it can be used as a diagnostic for beam matching into the plasma, which is critical for maximizing the energy extraction efficiency of a plasma accelerator stage. At SLAC, gamma ray detection devices have been installed at the dump area of the FACET beamline where the betatron radiation from the plasma source used in the E200 plasma wakefield acceleration experiment may be observed. The ultra-dense, high-energy beam at FACET (2 x 10{sup 10} electrons, 20 x 20 {micro}m{sup 2} spot, 20-100 {micro}m length, 20 GeV energy) when sent into a plasma source with a nominal density of {approx} 1 x 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} will generate synchrotron-like spectra with critical energies well into the tens of MeV. The intensity of the radiation can be increased by introducing a radial offset to the centroid of the witness bunch, which may be achieved at FACET through the use of a transverse deflecting RF cavity. The E200 gamma ray detector …

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The immobilization of 99Tc in a suitable host matrix has proved a challenging task for researchers in the nuclear waste community around the world. At the Hanford site in Washington State in the U.S., the total amount of 99Tc in low-activity waste (LAW) is {approx} 1,300 kg and the current strategy is to immobilize the 99Tc in borosilicate glass with vitrification. In this context, the present article reports on the solubility and retention of rhenium, a nonradioactive surrogate for 99Tc, in a LAW sodium borosilicate glass. Due to the radioactive nature of technetium, rhenium was chosen as a simulant because of previously established similarities in ionic radii and other chemical aspects. The glasses containing target Re concentrations varying from 0 to10,000 ppm by mass were synthesized in vacuum-sealed quartz ampoules to minimize the loss of Re by volatilization during melting at 1000 DC. The rhenium was found to be present predominantly as Re7 + in all the glasses as observed by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). The solubility of Re in borosilicate glasses was determined to be {approx}3,000 ppm (by mass) using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). At higher rhenium concentrations, some additional material was retained in the glasses …

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The Gordon Research Conference on PHOTOSYNTHESIS was held at Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, July 8 ? 13, 2012. The Conference was well-attended with 150 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. Of the 150 attendees, 65 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 65 respondents, 20% were Minorities ? 5% Hispanic, 15% Asian and 0% African American. Approximately 28% of the participants at the 2012 meeting were women. The Gordon Research Seminar on PHOTOSYNTHESIS held at Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, July 7-8, 2012.. The Conference was well-attended with 51 participants (attendees list attached). The attendees represented the spectrum of endeavor in this field coming from academia, industry, and government laboratories, both U.S. and foreign scientists, senior researchers, young investigators, and students. Of the 51 attendees, 22 voluntarily responded to a general inquiry regarding ethnicity which appears on our registration forms. Of the 22 respondents, 14% were Minorities ? 0% Hispanic, 14% Asian and 0% African American. Approximately 35% of the participants at the 2012 …

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Ion Cyclotron (IC) Range of Frequency waves and neutral beam (NB) injection are planned for heating in ITER and other future tokamaks. It is important to understand transport in plasmas with NB and IC to plan, predict, and improve transport and confinement. Transport predictions require simulations of the heating profiles, and for this, accurate modeling of the IC and NB heating is needed.