Political storms, financial uncertainties, and dreams of ““big science:”” The construction of a heavy ion accelerator in Argentina

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIEGO HURTADO DE MENDOZA ◽  
ANA MARIA VARA
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Heavy Ions ◽  
Nuclear Physics ◽  
Atomic Energy Commission ◽  
Heavy Ion ◽  
Atomic Energy ◽  
Big Science ◽  
Military Dictatorship ◽  
Democratic Government ◽  
Ion Accelerator

ABSTRACT Experimental nuclear physics in Argentina entered the era of so-called ““big science”” with a project to build a 20 MeV tandem-type accelerator for heavy ions. Promoted by the group of nuclear physicists of Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the TANDAR (TANDem ARgentino) project was presented to CNEA's Navy authorities during a democratic period of complete turmoil and a deep economic crisis. Most of its construction took place during eight years of brutal military dictatorship (1976––1983), leading to its inauguration in the first years of a new democratic government (1986). This article narrates how the project was envisioned, planned, and executed, and discusses the distortion of the usual meaning of ““big science”” when applied to a ““peripheral”” context.

Heavy Ion Accelerator–Driven Inertial Fusion

2015 ◽  
Vol 08 ◽  
pp. 37-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Ions ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Heavy Ion ◽  
High Repetition Rate ◽  
Inertial Fusion ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Ion Accelerator ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Potential Efficiency

The idea of using accelerators in the production of energy by inertial confinement fusion has been developed since the mid-1970s. The basic concept is to use accelerated beams of heavy ions to provide energy to implode and ignite a small fusion pellet. Accelerators have been seen as attractive for this application due to their reliability, high repetition rate, and potential efficiency. They are therefore competitive with high power lasers at least for the commercial production of electrical power. This review summarizes part of the development and scientific efforts directed toward this application, which has been realized over time to be an extremely demanding one. Here we focus primarily on the rf linac/storage ring driver system approach and summarize the specific development that culminated in the European HIDIF study of the late 1990s. We also discuss some of the relevant followup accelerator studies.

scholarly journals Electron-ion collider in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele P. Anderle ◽  
Valerio Bertone ◽  
Xu Cao ◽  
Lei Chang ◽  
Ningbo Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Physics ◽  
Nuclear Physics ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heavy Ion ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Heavy Flavor ◽  
Accelerator Facility ◽  
Heavy Ion Accelerator ◽  
Ion Accelerator

AbstractLepton scattering is an established ideal tool for studying inner structure of small particles such as nucleons as well as nuclei. As a future high energy nuclear physics project, an Electron-ion collider in China (EicC) has been proposed. It will be constructed based on an upgraded heavy-ion accelerator, High Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) which is currently under construction, together with a new electron ring. The proposed collider will provide highly polarized electrons (with a polarization of ∼80%) and protons (with a polarization of ∼70%) with variable center of mass energies from 15 to 20 GeV and the luminosity of (2–3) × 1033 cm−2 · s−1. Polarized deuterons and Helium-3, as well as unpolarized ion beams from Carbon to Uranium, will be also available at the EicC.The main foci of the EicC will be precision measurements of the structure of the nucleon in the sea quark region, including 3D tomography of nucleon; the partonic structure of nuclei and the parton interaction with the nuclear environment; the exotic states, especially those with heavy flavor quark contents. In addition, issues fundamental to understanding the origin of mass could be addressed by measurements of heavy quarkonia near-threshold production at the EicC. In order to achieve the above-mentioned physics goals, a hermetical detector system will be constructed with cutting-edge technologies.This document is the result of collective contributions and valuable inputs from experts across the globe. The EicC physics program complements the ongoing scientific programs at the Jefferson Laboratory and the future EIC project in the United States. The success of this project will also advance both nuclear and particle physics as well as accelerator and detector technology in China.

Winding Roads to Big Science: Experimental Physics in Argentina and Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Hurtado DE Mendoza ◽  
Ana María Vara
Keyword(s):  
Particle Physics ◽  
Nuclear Physics ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Heavy Ion ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Big Science ◽  
Experimental Physics

As a historiographical category, ‘big science’ was elaborated from the point of view of advanced countries. However, some developing countries decided to invest a significant part of their rather modest science budgets in building many-million-dollar facilities. A comparative approach to the study of the first stages of the Argentine TANDAR heavy ion accelerator and the Brazilian National Laboratory Synchrotron Light (LNLS) projects may help understand specificities in patterns of organisation of big science in peripheral contexts. Oversimplification of the decision-making processes linked to authoritarian political contexts—which allowed to overcome the lack of consensus within the physics community as well as financial uncertainties—seem to have been a necessary condition for TANDAR and LNLS, which differentiated them from big science in developed countries. Additionally, the different ways in which the institutionalisation of the nuclear area took place in Argentina and Brazil seem to have been responsible for the different paths followed by experimental physics between the 1960s and 1980s: nuclear physics in Argentina and particle physics in Brazil.

Radiological safety and assessment of the performance of X-ray systems in veterinary facilities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Economides ◽  
C.J. Hourdakis ◽  
C. Pafilis ◽  
G. Simantirakis ◽  
P. Tritakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Atomic Energy Commission ◽  
Atomic Energy ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Public ◽  
Radiological Safety ◽  
High Level

This paper concerns an analysis regarding the performance of X-ray equipment as well as the radiological safety in veterinary facilities. Data were collected from 380 X-ray veterinary facilities countrywide during the on-site regulatory inspections carried out by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission. The analysis of the results shows that the majority of the veterinary radiographic systems perform within the acceptable limits; moreover, the design and shielding of X-ray rooms as well as the applied procedures ensure a high level of radiological safety for the practitioners, operators and the members of the public. An issue that requires specific attention in the optimization process for the proper implementation of veterinary radiology practices in terms of radiological safety is the continuous training of the personnel. The above findings and the regulatory experience gained were valuable decision-making elements regarding the type of the regulatory control of veterinary radiology practices in the new radiation protection framework.

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