Dr. Sebastian Keckert receives this year's Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics from the German Physical Society (DPG). The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, is awarded to him for outstanding research results in the field of novel materials for superconducting high-frequency systems. Pfeiffer Vacuum is one of the sponsors of this award, which is presented annually by the DPG's Accelerator Physics Working Group. The institutions Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) and the companies Pfeiffer Vacuum and RI Research Instruments jointly honor young scientists.
Quadrupole resonator for testing superconducting materials
Keckert has significantly developed the principle of the quadrupole resonator for testing superconducting materials. The improvements he has made to the quadrupole resonator are used in several laboratories around the world. This has laid the foundation for a precise and comprehensive characterization of the high-frequency properties of novel superconducting material systems. The scientist's successes include, for example, the first precise characterization of a multilayer superconductor that could outperform the classic niobium material both in terms of achievable field strength and power loss.
Cavity resonators are in demand
"The next big step for superconducting particle accelerators is cavity resonators in which superconducting thin films are used," explains Keckert. "This would make it possible to operate the resonators at 4 Kelvin instead of 2 Kelvin. This means that significant savings could be made in the energy used for cooling. In addition, simpler cooling systems can be used, which opens up completely new applications for superconducting particle accelerators."
Pfeiffer Vacuum products in accelerator systems
Andreas Schopphoff, Head of Market Segment R&D at Pfeiffer Vacuum, explains the importance of vacuum technology for cutting-edge research: "We are delighted that our products are being used in accelerator systems to achieve new research results and make the operation of these systems more sustainable."