Quasar Group PhD students Angus, Ana and Farhana presented at the PAB 2025 conference in Oxford this July
QUASAR Group PhD students, based at the University of Liverpool and the Cockcroft Institute, joined over 100 nationwide researchers and industry delegates for the UK's premier annual Particle Accelerators and Beams Conference (PAB 2025), co-hosted this year in Oxford by the John Adams Institute (University of Oxford) and RAL early in July.
Our students, Ana Guisao-Betancur (2nd-year), Farhana Thesni MP (2nd-year), and Angus Jones (3rd-year) participated with contributed talks showcasing their work.
Angus presenting his work on end-to-end detector simulations.
Angus presented his talk "Comparison of Cherenkov radiation physics between Geant4 and an existing FLUKA-based model" where he discussed his novel end-to-end detector simulations of optical fibre beam loss monitors (oBLMs), demonstrating the potential of these detectors for use on energy recovery LINACs (ERLs) - a type of energy-efficient accelerator that can use up to ten times less power than conventional machines. oBLMs are a type of beam loss detector that uses Cherenkov radiation generated by relativistic particle showers crossing the fibre and can cover the accelerator continuously (unlike the older-style localised monitors).
Ana, in her presentation “RF breakdown detection and localization using optical fibres”, discussed the progress made during her secondment work with the instrumentation company D-Beam. She analysed Cherenkov radiation signals produced in an oBLM from breakdowns (sparking) during commissioning of one of the RF accelerating structures on the CLARA accelerator at Daresbury Laboratory, UK. Her analysis permitted centimetre-level localisation of the breakdowns, enabling more precise monitoring than previously available on CLARA.
Ana presenting a talk on 'RF breakdown detection and localization using optical fibres'.
Farhana talked about “Optimization of a Gas-Curtain based Ionization Profile Monitor for Laser-Driven Proton Therapy Applications” where she introduced the development of a novel, real time, non-invasive beam monitoring technique for ultra-high dose rate proton radiotherapy (such as FLASH). The device uses a thin layer of gas to create a visible signal when hit by the beam, which is then captured by a camera, allowing real-time beam monitoring within milliseconds. She discussed her CST simulations and successful testing of the system at the MC40 cyclotron facility at the University of Birmingham. Her work highlights the potential of gas-jet based monitors in compact medical accelerators and next-generation FLASH proton radiotherapy systems.
The sunny Oxford was a great venue for the students to present their work and offered plenty of opportunities to network with both researchers from all over the country and a wide selection of industry delegates. The conference ended with a tour at RAL, where the students had the opportunity to visit the EPAC, ISIS, and Diamond facilities.