Fifth HLLHC Beam gas curtain monitor collaboration meeting
The fifth HLLHC beam gas curtain collaboration meeting was held online on 10-11 December 2020. Participants from the University of Liverpool, CERN and GSI attended this online meeting that stretched over two half days and allowed a detailed discussion of progress made in this flagship project within the QUASAR Group.
QUASAR Group leader Professor Carsten Welsch started the meeting with an overview of progress made and a description of the scope of the recently awarded phase II project. He also gave a summary of R&D plans from a Liverpool perspective view.
Quasars Dr Hao Zhang and PhD student Amir Salehilashkajani gave detailed talks about recent experimental and simulation progress connected to the version 2 prototype setup at the Cockcroft Institute, as well as plans for year 2021.
Quasar Dr Narender Kumar discussed plans to generate a highly focused quantum gas jet and possible application of such a monitor for example at medical facilities. Experts from CERN and GSI contributed a wide range of talks that covered all R&D aspects of the project, including safety systems, machine integration and gas jet shaping simulations. All contributions can be accessed via this link: https://indico.cern.ch/event/974686/.
2020 has been a very difficult year for the project, but the hard work of the collaboration has paid off so that the ambitious project goals could be achieved. Amongst the highlights were the successful installation of the interaction chamber in the main pipe of the Large Hadron Collider, the completion of the procurement of all components for version 3 of the monitor, the completion of the HLLHC-UK phase I project, as well as the HLLHC-UK phase II funding award which now allows building two more monitors.