To rectify the problems of electron clouds observed in RHIC and unacceptable ohmic heating for superconducting magnets that can limit future machine upgrades, we started developing a robotic plasma deposition technique for $in-situ$ coating of the RH
IC 316LN stainless steel cold bore tubes based on staged magnetrons mounted on a mobile mole for deposition of Cu followed by amorphous carbon (a-C) coating. The Cu coating reduces wall resistivity, while a-C has low SEY that suppresses electron cloud formation. Recent RF resistivity computations indicate that 10 {mu}m of Cu coating thickness is needed. But, Cu coatings thicker than 2 {mu}m can have grain structures that might have lower SEY like gold black. A 15-cm Cu cathode magnetron was designed and fabricated, after which, 30 cm long samples of RHIC cold bore tubes were coated with various OFHC copper thicknesses; room temperature RF resistivity measured. Rectangular stainless steel and SS discs were Cu coated. SEY of rectangular samples were measured at room; and, SEY of a disc sample was measured at cryogenic temperatures.
The plasma lens concept is examined as an alternative to focusing horns and solenoids for a neutrino beam facility. The concept is based on a combined high-current lens/target configuration. Current is fed at an electrode located downstream from the
beginning of the target where pion capturing is needed. The current is carried by plasma outside the target. A second plasma lens section, with an additional current feed, follows the target. The plasma is immersed in a relatively small solenoidal magnetic field to facilitate its current profile shaping to optimize pion capture. Simulations of the not yet fully optimized configuration yielded a 25% higher neutrino flux at a detector situated at 3 km from the target than the horn system for the entire energy spectrum and a factor of 2.5 higher flux for neutrinos with energy larger than 3 GeV. A major advantage of plasma lenses is in background reduction. In antineutrino operation, neutrino background is reduced by a factor of close to 3 for the whole spectrum, and for energy larger than 3 GeV, neutrino background is reduced by a factor of 3.6. Plasma lenses have additional advantages: larger axial currents, high signal purity: minimal neutrino background in antineutrino runs. The lens medium consists of plasma, consequently, particle absorption and scattering is negligible. Withstanding high mechanical and thermal stresses in a plasma is not an issue.
