HHT experimental area

View of the HHT experimental area

HHT (High energy, High Temperature) is a unique experimental area at GSI designed for High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) experiments with intense ion beams delivered by SIS-18 heavy ion synchrotron. The HHT beam line is equipped with a strong Final Focus System which allows to focus intense beams of various ion species up to Uranium with ion energy 50 - 1000 MeV/u to a spot size of 0.15 - 2.5 mm diameter. The pulse duration is 100 - 1400 ns and different pulse time shapes are available (single bunch, four bunches, flat top).

Current and foreseen parameters of the ion beam available at HHT

Typically, for HEDP and for so-called warm dense matter (WDM) experiments a beam of ²³⁸U⁷³⁺ ions with the energy 300-400 MeV/u is used. Presently, up to 4·10⁹ ions is delivered by the SIS-18 synchrotron in 70 - 300 ns long bunches. Taking full advantage of the electron cooler of SIS-18, such intense uranium beams can be focused to a spot of less than 300 µm (FWHM) at the target. Assuming a solid metallic target, the specific energy deposition in the target material is from a few kJ/g to ~ 50 kJ/g. This correspond to temperatures of 1-10 eV and pressures in the multi-kbar to sub-Mbar range incuced in a solid density sample with mm²-size. The parameters of the ion beam available at HHT are given in the table above.

HHT offers intense ion beams for different research fields including:
 

plasma physics (from EoS of ion-beam generated WDM to high-energy proton microscopy) atomic physics (ion-beam pumped excimer lasers, gas spectroscopy with heavy-ion excitation) nuclear and particle physics (design and tests of high-load production targets and beam dumps, diamond detector R&D) accelerator technology (diagnostics of powerful ion beams, beam-induced dynamic vacuum problem) aerospace technology (radiation hardness tests and anti-meteoroid protection of spacecraft elements)

technical contact: d.varentsovgsi.de

There are over 20 laboratories and universities from 10 countries that are currently using the HHT area through different experimental collaborations.