Speaker
Description
Monte Carlo shower codes like FLUKA are essential for simulating beam-matter interactions for HiRadMat irradiation experiments. FLUKA has been extensively used for the preparation and analysis of LIU- and and HL-LHC-related HiRadMat tests, including tests for the HL-LHC collimators, the new HL-LHC injection protection absorber, and the new SPS-to-LHC transfer line collimators. The shower studies were crucial for determining impact conditions which generate similar energy densities and stresses as in the HL-LHC era despite the lower beam intensity available from the injector complex before LS2. Using past HiRadMat experiments as example, this talk will show how FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations were used for selecting beam parameters and for analyzing the outcome of these tests by generating energy deposition maps for thermo-mechanical studies. Monte Carlo simulations are also essential for possible future HiRadMat tests using materials which have been pre-irradiated at other facilities where higher levels of radiation damage can be achieved than in HiRadMat. Testing the thermo-mechanical response of materials which have suffered radiation damage (displacement damage) is important for harsh radiation environments as in the HL-LHC, where beam-intercepting devices must retain their protective functionality even after exposure to high radiation fluences. Monte Carlo shower simulations are the only way to establish a relationship between the displacement damage achieved in irradiation tests and the damage expected in real accelerator environments like the HL-LHC betatron cleaning insertion. This talk will demonstrate how relevant quantities like DPA (Displacement Per Atom) can be calculated using FLUKA and how these calculations are used to establish an equivalence between irradiation tests and operational conditions in accelerators.