The Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment (AWAKE) is an accelerator R&D project based at CERN. It is a proof-of-principle experiment investigating the use of plasma wakefields driven by a proton bunch to accelerate charged particles.
A plasma wakefield is a type of wave generated by particles travelling through a plasma. AWAKE will send proton beams through plasma cells to generate these fields. By harnessing wakefields, physicists may be able to produce accelerator gradients hundreds of times higher than those achieved in current radiofrequency cavities. This would allow future colliders to achieve higher energies over shorter distances than is possible today.
AWAKE will use proton beams from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) in the CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso (CNGS) facility (see image above for proposed location). These protons will be injected into a 10-metre plasma cell to initiate strong wakefields. A second beam â the âwitnessâ electron beam â would then be accelerated by the wakefields, gaining up to several gigavolts of energy. Following AWAKE’s approval in autumn 2013, the first proton beams are expected to be sent to the plasma cell at the end of 2016.
AWAKE would be the worldâs first proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment. Besides demonstrating how protons can be used to generate wakefields, AWAKE will also develop the necessary technologies for long-term, proton-driven plasma acceleration projects.
AWAKE is an international scientific collaboration made up of 14 institutes and involving over 50 engineers and physicists (April 2014).
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