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Superconducting particle accelerators are entering a transformative era, driven by breakthroughs that promise unprecedented performance, efficiency, and versatility. This talk will explore the cutting-edge technologies reshaping the landscape of high-performance accelerators, with a primary focus on both superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities and superconducting magnets. We’ll begin by detailing recent innovations in SRF technology, including the use of ultra-pure niobium, its fabrication processes such as advanced forming, precision machining, and electron beam welding and advanced surface treatments like nitrogen doping, electropolishing, high-pressure rinsing, and plasma processing. These techniques are enabling higher accelerating gradients, improved quality factors, and reduced operational costs. The discussion will also cover how emerging materials like Nb₃Sn and MgB₂ are pushing performance boundaries by offering higher critical temperatures and magnetic fields. We will then turn to the vital role of superconducting magnets, which utilize high-field designs with materials like NbTi, Nb₃Sn and REBCO to enable compact, energy-efficient layouts for beam steering and focusing. The combination of high-Tc superconductors with newly emerging cryogen-free cryocooler technology is making systems more compact and accessible for both cavities and magnets.
The talk will also highlight how the integration of modern tools is revolutionizing accelerator processing, control, and stability. We’ll explore the impact of AI-driven diagnostics, robotic systems for cleanroom processing, and real-time feedback mechanisms that are making accelerators more adaptable and accessible. Together, these technologies are making accelerators critical not only for high energy particle physics experiments but also for applications in medical imaging, cancer therapy, and industrial beamlines. Designed for physicists, engineers, and technologists alike, this presentation offers a fast-paced, visually rich overview of the innovations driving the next generation of superconducting accelerators and the broader science fields they impact.
The birth anniversary of Sir M Visvesvaraya, 15th September is celebrated as "Engineers day". This lecture is part of the engineers day celebration 2025 at IIA Bangalore.
The speaker Dr. Vikas Kumar Jain is Scientific Officer-H and Heading the Superconducting Cavity Tuner Development Lab at RRCAT, Indore, with over 29 years of distinguished service in government research. He earned his Ph.D. from IIT Bombay, where his doctoral work focused on analytical, numerical, and experimental investigations of higher-order modes in accelerator RF cavities—contributing significantly to the INDUS-2 project. Since 2001, following his earlier tenure at the Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Dr. Jain has been at the forefront of superconducting technology development, leading key initiatives in cavity design, fabrication, and tuning systems.
His international experience includes a two-year deputation as Guest Engineer at Fermilab (USA) from 2015 to 2017, where he worked on advanced superconducting accelerator technologies. He also contributed to the development and testing of LHC corrector magnets at CERN (Switzerland) in 2004. Dr. Jain is the recipient of the Scientific Excellence Award (2019) and six Group Achievement Awards from the Department of Atomic Energy, recognizing his contributions to niobium cavity development and LHC magnet fabrication.
Systems Engineering Group, IIA