The Department of Energy Office of High Energy Physics (DOE-OHEP) General Accelerator Research & Development (GARD) Lab Comparative Review, conducted by a team of reviewers and DOE-OHEP personnel, assesses the progress of GARD programs as an essential and unique portfolio of technologies for future particle accelerators and colliders across five national labs.
Held at Berkeley Lab on August 8, 2024, the review of the Lab’s GARD programs was one of several similar reviews held at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory that week.
Opened by Natalie Roe, Associate Laboratory Director for the Physical Sciences Area, the all-day review included presentations from Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division director Cameron Geddes. He provided an overview of ATAP’s programs and centers, its mission and vision, and the division’s progress along the 2016 Advanced Accelerator R&D Roadmap Plan developed from the 2014 Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) Report and 2015 High Energy Physics Advisory subcommittee recommendations.
Geddes notes, “Berkeley Lab leads research across GARD thrust areas; broad research themes that comprehensively address methods important to enable the next generation of machines,” adding that the Lab “appreciates the reviewers, DOE colleagues, and our staff’s work in supporting GARD programs.”
Cameron Geddes, ATAP division director, presents to the General Accelerator Research & Development (GARD) review group. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)
Presentations included Soren Prestemon, head of ATAP’s Superconducting Magnet Program, which is working toward unprecedented magnetic fields; Eric Esarey, director of the BELLA Center, a world-renowned center of excellence for advanced, compact particle acceleration research; Qing Ji, head of the Berkeley Accelerator Controls and Instrumentation Program, which is developing state-of-the-art accelerator control technologies; and Jean-Luc Vay, head of the Advanced Modeling Program, an awarding-winning team that develops and deploys cutting-edge computing techniques to improve accelerator design and operation.
“We were honored to have this opportunity to present the research and operational achievements of our division’s GARD programs, including Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability (IDEA) accomplishments,” says Asmita Patel, ATAP’s deputy division director for operations. “Our work aligns with the Lab’s IDEA strategy, and we’ve also integrated IDEA into the successful Multi-Lab Safety Week that we lead each year. IDEA helps us make the most of our workforce and create an environment where everyone can excel.”
Technical talks further detailed pioneering advances in these fields, ranging from progress on developing and protecting high-temperature conducting magnets to BELLA operations, new efficient fiber lasers, advanced controls for complex accelerator systems, accelerator modeling at the largest scales, and our programs in workforce development, IDEA principles and practices, and safety management. Presenters included Diego Arbelaez, Tengming Shen, Maxim Martchevskii, Anthony Gonsalves, Lieselotte Obst-Huebl, Jens Osterhoff, Tong Zhou, Dan Wang, Qiang Du, Axel Huebl, and Asmita Patel.
Attendees were also taken on a guided tour of the BELLA facility, fiber laser lab, and magnet fabrication and assembly facilities. The day ended with a poster session highlighting the wide range of research conducted by ATAP researchers to advance particle accelerator science and applications.
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