Thin Coats Galore

Windows of various sizes and power ratings, including klystron windows, are coated at the Klystron Coating Lab. (Photo by Dale Miller.)

by Michael Torrice

A refrigerator-sized machine inside SLAC's Klystron Coating Lab hums and clangs as it deposits a few layers of titanium nitride molecules onto a cylindrical piece of ceramic for Argonne lab's Advanced Photon Source. Since 1985, the coating lab has been applying similar thin films to klystron microwave windows and other components used in accelerator labs from around the world.

Klystron windows provide a seal for the vacuum inside the klystron—a device that powers a linear accelerator. These white ceramic disks are called windows because they are designed to transmit the microwave energy generated inside the klystron without much absorption or reflection.

"Klystrons always have difficulties with windows breaking. The higher in power you go, the harder it is to make a window that doesn't destroy itself," said Dale Miller, the principal technician at the lab. One process that destroys these windows is called multipacting. Electric fields near the windows crash electrons into the surface of the window. These impacts eject electrons that can then be accelerated into the window or other klystron surfaces and jar more particles loose. The energy created by this cascading effect eventually breaks the window. Read more...

Chris Ramirez Helps Keep SSRL Connected

by Calla Cofield

Chris Ramirez stands in front of a tower of cables that connect SSRL to the network. (Photo by Calla Cofield. Click for larger image.)

In 1997 Chris Ramirez had the opportunity to work for SLAC as a summer student through the Woodside High School Technology Program. Sorting nuts and bolts with the SLAC electronics group, he says, he never anticipated that the summer job would lead to a career in computer networking at a science laboratory.

More than ten years later, Ramirez's view has changed. He has moved through the ranks to become a full-time technician with the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Computer and Networking Group. "[Working at SLAC] has changed my ambitions and goals," he says. "No one in my family ever worked in science. But working to support scientists from all over the world has been an incredible life experience."

Ramirez and the group administer, upgrade and contribute to the design of the SSRL network. They are in charge of everything from installation of new copper and fiber optics cables, to network configuration and management of all network equipment. They ensure that data stored on the SSRL servers is always accessible to remote users around the world. Read more...

Accelerators Overtake Researchers

by Michael Woods

The Accelerators: (standing, from left) Clayton Shum, Natalie Cramar, Eric Miller, Matt Cramar and Ken Herman; and (kneeling) Tom Markiewicz, Abe Downey, Mike Palrang and Herman Winick. (Photo by Heather Woods. Click for larger image.)

The Accelerators bested the Researchers 30–28 to win the Drell-Richter trophy in SLAC's Annual Softball Game Sunday, October 5, at Stanford's Roble Field. Scoring was fast and furious as the Researchers sought to erase the memory of their 38–10 defeat in 2007.

Research right-fielder Ryan Auer set the tone early with an over-the-fence home run in the first inning, lending the Researchers a quick 8–3 lead. The Accelerators came back in the third inning with a three-run homer to deep left field by Ken Herman. But the Researchers answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. The Accelerators narrowed the gap slightly in the fourth inning, and then exploded for 14 runs in the fifth to take a commanding lead. The Researchers found their bats again in the sixth inning, narrowing the Accelerators' lead to just one run. After the seventh-inning stretch, the Researchers added three more runs to recover the lead. However, the Accelerator team quickly re-grouped, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth and one more in the ninth to win.

Bill Kirk MVP Awardd

The Bill Kirk Most Valuable Player Award went to Herman Winick for Accelerators. Herman contributed a grand slam to the Accelerator barrage of 14 runs in the fifth inning, then scored the game-winning RBI in the eighth.

For more game details and photos, see the 2008 game Web page.

Events

Today (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Chihway Chang Presents LSST - Shoot a Movie in the Sky
Oct 9 (4:00 p.m.) SLAC Accelerator Seminar: RF Breakdown in Magnetic Fields
Oct 15 (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Robert Wagner presents Development of the Cherekov Camera

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Unique Multi-wavelength Portrait of Star Birth ESO news release
X-Ray Study Unveils Structural Details of Enzyme Vital to DNA Repair Science Centric
Fuzziness on the Road to Grand Unification: U. of Oregon theorists suggest a layer of particles may exist and block a merger U. of Oregon news release

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

Thin Coats Galore Windows of various sizes and power ratings, including klystron windows, are coated at the Klystron Coating Lab. (Photo by Dale Miller.) by Michael Torrice A refrigerator-sized machine inside SLAC's Klystron Coating Lab hums and clangs as it deposits a few layers of titanium nitride molecules onto a cylindrical piece of ceramic for Argonne lab's Advanced Photon Source. Since 1985, the coating lab has been applying similar thin films to klystron microwave windows and other components used in accelerator labs from around the world. Klystron windows provide a seal for the vacuum inside the klystron—a device that powers a linear accelerator. These white ceramic disks are called windows because they are designed to transmit the microwave energy generated inside the klystron without much absorption or reflection. "Klystrons always have difficulties with windows breaking. The higher in power you go, the harder it is to make a window that doesn't destroy itself," said Dale Miller, the principal technician at the lab. One process that destroys these windows is called multipacting. Electric fields near the windows crash electrons into the surface of the window. These impacts eject electrons that can then be accelerated into the window or other klystron surfaces and jar more particles loose. The energy created by this cascading effect eventually breaks the window. Read more...

Chris Ramirez Helps Keep SSRL Connected by Calla Cofield Chris Ramirez stands in front of a tower of cables that connect SSRL to the network. (Photo by Calla Cofield. Click for larger image.) In 1997 Chris Ramirez had the opportunity to work for SLAC as a summer student through the Woodside High School Technology Program. Sorting nuts and bolts with the SLAC electronics group, he says, he never anticipated that the summer job would lead to a career in computer networking at a science laboratory. More than ten years later, Ramirez's view has changed. He has moved through the ranks to become a full-time technician with the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Computer and Networking Group. "[Working at SLAC] has changed my ambitions and goals," he says. "No one in my family ever worked in science. But working to support scientists from all over the world has been an incredible life experience." Ramirez and the group administer, upgrade and contribute to the design of the SSRL network. They are in charge of everything from installation of new copper and fiber optics cables, to network configuration and management of all network equipment. They ensure that data stored on the SSRL servers is always accessible to remote users around the world. Read more...	Accelerators Overtake Researchers by Michael Woods The Accelerators: (standing, from left) Clayton Shum, Natalie Cramar, Eric Miller, Matt Cramar and Ken Herman; and (kneeling) Tom Markiewicz, Abe Downey, Mike Palrang and Herman Winick. (Photo by Heather Woods. Click for larger image.) The Accelerators bested the Researchers 30–28 to win the Drell-Richter trophy in SLAC's Annual Softball Game Sunday, October 5, at Stanford's Roble Field. Scoring was fast and furious as the Researchers sought to erase the memory of their 38–10 defeat in 2007. Research right-fielder Ryan Auer set the tone early with an over-the-fence home run in the first inning, lending the Researchers a quick 8–3 lead. The Accelerators came back in the third inning with a three-run homer to deep left field by Ken Herman. But the Researchers answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. The Accelerators narrowed the gap slightly in the fourth inning, and then exploded for 14 runs in the fifth to take a commanding lead. The Researchers found their bats again in the sixth inning, narrowing the Accelerators' lead to just one run. After the seventh-inning stretch, the Researchers added three more runs to recover the lead. However, the Accelerator team quickly re-grouped, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth and one more in the ninth to win. Bill Kirk MVP Awardd The Bill Kirk Most Valuable Player Award went to Herman Winick for Accelerators. Herman contributed a grand slam to the Accelerator barrage of 14 runs in the fifth inning, then scored the game-winning RBI in the eighth. For more game details and photos, see the 2008 game Web page.	Events Today (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Chihway Chang Presents LSST - Shoot a Movie in the Sky Oct 9 (4:00 p.m.) SLAC Accelerator Seminar: RF Breakdown in Magnetic Fields Oct 15 (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Robert Wagner presents Development of the Cherekov Camera Access (see all) Lawn Excavation Between Panofsky and Kavli Bldg 40 and 84 Parking Lots Closed Sidewalk Project from South Target Road to Bldg 33 PEP Ring Road and Alpine Gate Closed Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements Plumbing in B034 repaired Community Bulletin Board Faculty Staff Help Center: October 2008 Workshop and Groups HIP Class Oct 14-21: Breathe to Relax News (submit) Unique Multi-wavelength Portrait of Star Birth ESO news release X-Ray Study Unveils Structural Details of Enzyme Vital to DNA Repair Science Centric Fuzziness on the Road to Grand Unification: U. of Oregon theorists suggest a layer of particles may exist and block a merger U. of Oregon news release
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<% Response.AddHeader "Last-modified", getArticleDate() 'Response.AddHeader "Last-modified","Mon, 01 Sep 1997 01:03:33 GMT" 'Monday, December 06, 2010 %> View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.