Exploring new uses of high energy electron irradiations at VESPER, CERN

The Very energetic Electron facility for Space Planetary Exploration missions in harsh Radiative environments (VESPER) is part of the CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) facility, and is of high interest for electronics and beam monitoring instrumentation testing and calibration. CLEAR is a facility used for general accelerator R&D and component studies for machines at CERN. Its main purpose is the prototyping and validation of accelerator components for future upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider and the connected injector chain. Furthermore, VESPER is part of the CLEAR experimental facility and offers the possibility to irradiate electronic components and beam monitors with monoenergetic electrons from 60 MeV to 200 MeV.

In the scope of the RADSAGA project, Vanessa Wyrwoll (ESR4) together with members of the University of Oldenburg performed experiments dedicated to the study of Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) and their impact on electronics. During the one-week test campaign, several measurements were performed using clinically established and well calibrated detectors from PTW Freiburg and the ESA SEU reference monitor to investigate the influence of different beam charges and time structures in terms of Single Event Effects (SEEs). To retrieve the depth dose and profile distributions of the beam, a motorized water phantom was used. Moreover, the 1000 SRS Octavius liquid ionization chamber array (PTW Freiburg) provided an online beam monitoring combined with film measurements.

The results of such experiments are an excellent example of how radiation effects on electronics applications can benefit from medical dosimeters and beam monitors. Such instruments allow for an accurate, on-line measurement of the beam intensity and profile, which are essential in determining the SEE probabilities that can in turn be used to estimate the error rate in electron-rich environments, such as those expected in the future ESA JUICE mission to explore the Jovian system.  

For more information about electron-induced SEEs, please see the recent PhD thesis by Maris Tali.

Vanessa Wyrwoll (ESR4)

 

PTW Octavius 1000 SRS liquid ionization chamber array mounted on the beamline (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).

 

PTW Octavius 1000 SRS liquid ionization chamber beam monitoring (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).

 

Motorized water phantom positioned in the beamline (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).

 

Markus chamber, left, and advanced Markus chamber, right (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).

 

Motorized water phantom with micro ionization chambers (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).

 

MicroPoint ionizarion chamber and MicroDiamond ionization chamber (Credit: Vanessa Wyrwoll).