From technology parks to state-of-the-art research infrastructure, Illinois’ R&D ecosystem thrives through collaboration. Illinois’ R&D ecosystem is the focus of this month’s ISTC Catalyst.
Guest Column by Elizabeth Clements, Senior Science Communicator, Fermilab
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Fermilab build some of the largest and most complex machines in the world-particle accelerators that smash subatomic particles together close to the speed of light. The laboratory’s newest facility, the Superconducting Radio Frequency Test Facility, will advance a technology critical to the next generation of particle accelerators with the potential for applications in nuclear energy and materials science.
The new facility, which will occupy three buildings and host a 460-foot-long test accelerator, will be the first of its kind in the United States. Scientists will use the facility to test superconducting radio frequency, or SRF, components-the technology of choice for future particle accelerators.
Fermilab is partnering with U.S. industry and other research institutions to develop cost-effective methods to build SRF cavities-hollow structures that provide a highly efficient way to accelerate particles. The cavities operate inside containers called cryomodules, vessels cooled to -456 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature where they can conduct electric current without electrical resistance-hence the term “superconducting.”
Fermilab completed the first cryomodule in 2008 and started testing it in 2010. They are currently building the second cryomodule for the facility. Eventually, the facility will house six cryomodules, creating the test accelerator that scientists will use to develop and design better instruments and advanced accelerator technology. Two additional buildings under construction will provide an area to test the cryomodules and a new refrigerator that will cool the vessels to temperatures just above absolute zero. Construction on the additional buildings is scheduled for completion later this year.
With the completion of the new facility, Fermilab hopes to become a world leader in this cutting-edge technology, just as the laboratory did 35 years ago when developing superconducting magnets during the construction of the Tevatron, the largest particle accelerator in the United States.
At the heart of the Tevatron lie 1,000 superconducting magnets, which steer the particles inside and produce much stronger magnetic fields than conventional magnets. The extra strength allows scientists to accelerate particles to higher energy. When scientists started building the Tevatron in the 1970s, the annual world production of the materials required to build the superconducting magnets was only a few hundred pounds, and Fermilab needed the material by the ton. Scientists and manufacturers worked together to improve the properties of the superconducting wire and developed a large-scale manufacturing capacity. Their partnership enabled the commercial development of superconducting wire-the technology at the heart of every MRI and a billion-dollar world market today.
This September, the Tevatron will shut down, and Fermilab will move forward with future plans to build new experiments at the frontier of scientific discovery. Pursuing a rigorous program at the laboratory’s new test facility to develop superconducting radio frequency technology and partnering with industry will be one of the laboratory’s main focuses. Just as the building of the Tevatron helped lead to a revolution in medical imaging 35 years ago, advancing SRF technology may have the same potential in the decades to come.
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About the Author:
Elizabeth Clements is the Senior Science Communicator at the Department of Energy’s Fermilab, located in Batavia, IL. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory advances the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct basic research at the frontiers of high energy physics and related disciplines. http://www.fnal.gov/
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- Fermilab’s Plan for the Future
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- University of Illinois Taking Collaborative Step with New Lab
- R&D Infrastructure at the Illinois Institute of Technology, by Robert F. Anderson, Director Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property
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- The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Helps Scientists and Engineers Across the Country
- Researchers at The Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Laboratory at the University of Illinois Improve Transportation Safety, Efficiency, and Sustainability
- The Northern Illinois University Institute for Neutron Therapy at Fermilab Offers Neutron Therapy to Cancer Patients
- The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics at the University of Chicago Links Biological and Physical Sciences
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- National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center Provides Commercial Testing of Products, Technologies, Concepts and Ideas
- Peoria Next Innovation Center Facilitates the Discovery, Innovation and Commercialization of New Technologies
- The Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago Supports Interdisciplinary Research
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Global Midwest Alliance Breakfast Program
Food Safety: Policy Changes, Science-Based Opportunities
Date: July 19, 2011
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 230 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL
7:30 AM to 10:30 AM
For one week, July 22-29, 2011, the world of technology will visit Chicago in celebration of a new technology epicenter unique among major world cities.
The Illinois Nanotechnology Network (INN)
The INN is currently under development. Please Click Here to add your company to the Network and tell us about yourself. For now, your information will be kept private and will only be used for the purposes of planning for the Illinois Nanotechnology Collaborative.
October 10-16, 2011
CIW is an annual, seven-day celebration of ideas, innovation and community with over 100+ speakers and 60+ events at over 40 locations throughout Chicago focused on a broad range of important and compelling topics ranging from the arts, to education, finance, design, and many others.
November 2011
Nominations now open! Due July 31.
Goodman Theatre
For the 10th consecutive year, the awards will celebrate the creative spirit of the Chicago region by recognizing and honoring the city’s most innovative new products and services.