(Los Angeles, CA 30APR08) RadiaBeam Technologies is excited to announce that it has been awarded three Phase I SBIR grants in the Department of Energy's Fiscal Year 2008 solicitation. According to Salime Boucher, President of RadiaBeam, "these new projects demonstrate the full range of RadiaBeam's active R&D program: new products for the accelerator laboratory market, applications of accelerators for the wider research market, and novel accelerator systems for commercial applications, with large potential economic and social impact." Below is information about the awarded projects.
"A User-Friendly, Modular Simulation Code for Emission Processes From High-Brightness Electron Beams"
As particle accelerators push to produce higher brightness beams and shorter time and wavelength scale radiation, the computation modeling of these beams becomes more challenging. In particular, the modeling of real diagnostics/detectors is inadequate and necessitates further computational efforts. Modeling the detectors is imperative because detectors are the only source of beam characterization; a modeling code with an emphasis on diagnostics, as proposed here, is the critical bridge between theory and experiment.
The overall goal of the project is to develop a user-friendly, modular radiation code that will accurately model the radiation emitted by high-brightness beams as observed by particular diagnostics. The emphasis of the code will be on actual measurable quantities that are detectable by real diagnostics, such as angular distribution and spectrum. The code will also have a user-friendly interface to eliminate steep learning curves that other codes possess.
The successful development of the radiation code will aid in the design of future accelerators as well as optimize the day-to-day operations of present day accelerators. The software will benefit accelerator users across all fields, including medical imaging accelerators and materials studies, as diagnosis of accelerated beams is crucial for a complete understanding. The software will also improve efficiency and decrease machine down time by eliminating steep learning curves associated with other programs
"A Novel Short-Period High-Field HTS Undulator Based on (0001)<11-20> Textured Dysprosium Poles"
The growing demand for higher brilliance hard X-ray sources pushes the performance envelope of the standard in-vacuum insertion devices to the fundamental limit of the technology. Developing shorter period, higher field undulators would enable a significant improvement in brightness, spectral and spatial resolution of the synchrotron light at hard x-ray wavelengths. Such an advance would significantly enhance capabilities of the moderate energy light sources to better serve the growing needs of synchrotron radiation users.
The approach of this project is to combine high temperature superconductivity with the unique ferromagnetic properties of dysprosium metal to develop an ultra-short period, high field undulator. A fabrication procedure will be developed to produce textured Dy poles of high magnetic quality in a cost effective way, to enable development of the proposed novel insertion devices on a practical scale.
The successful fabrication procedure of textured dysprosium poles can be adapted to other applications of this material. In addition, once the undulator concept is proven, RadiaBeam will be able to market HTS Dy undulators to the large insertion devices market.
"The Micro Accelerator Platform: A New Particle Source for Industrial, Medical, and Research Applications"
Sources of relativistic electrons, especially for use in generating x-rays, are utilized in applications ranging from cancer therapy to industrial inspection, but such devices are presently large and very expensive to produce. New applications, ranging from research in nanotechnology and high-energy physics, to medical uses in advanced imaging and radiosurgery, demand new types of radiation and charged particle sources.
A new kind of particle source —the Micro Accelerator Platform (MAP)— will be developed by this project, one that is based on a microstructure fabricated from dielectric materials, much the way microelectronic chips are produced. This source will be powered by a laser, delivered over a fiber optic, and be less than a cubic millimeter in size. The project is the culmination of more than a decade of research at UCLA into the physics of slab-symmetric dielectric structures.
The MAP holds great promises as a new form of cancer radiation therapy, one delivered through a minimally invasive procedure to the tumor site, thus avoiding damage to healthy tissue. This new tool can potentially provide a safer, more effective, and far less expensive alternative to the radiation treatment available today. At the same time, the MAP technology will provide a new source for non-destructive testing (e.g. of pipes, engine parts, bridges, etc.), and cargo inspection (e.g. airport and shipping port security). The demonstration of acceleration in an infrared laser-powered, dielectric structure would also contribute to development of future advanced accelerators for high energy physics research.
Additional information on RadiaBeam is available at the company web site: http://www.radiabeam.com/
About RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC
RadiaBeam Technologies manufactures products, performs directed research, and provides custom design and engineering services in the beam and accelerator research sector.
Our products come from technology transfer, licensing and original designs. We focus on novel acceleration methods, diagnostics, subsystems and EM radiation production. The company has three main regimes of specialization: high brightness beams, femtosecond systems, and novel industrial / medical accelerators.
About the SBIR Program
The SBIR program is a highly competitive grant system that encourages small business to explore their technological potential. SBIR funds the critical startup and development stages and it encourages the commercialization of the technology, product, or service, which, in turn, stimulates the U.S. economy. Since its enactment in 1982, as part of the Small Business Innovation Development Act, SBIR has helped thousands of small businesses to compete for federal research and development awards.
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