The path towards the development of a new generation of particle accelerators takes a step forward with the launch of EuPRAXIA Advanced Photon Sources (EuAPS). The project, coordinated by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), aims at the creation of a laser driven, plasma-based betatron X-ray radiation source at the INFN Frascati National Laboratories.
The initiative has the National Research Council (CNR) and the Tor Vergata University of Rome among its partners. Specifically, the CNR’s Institute of Structure of Matter will develop advanced photon diagnostic tools for the characterization of betatron X-ray radiation, while the Tor Vergata University will provide the compact and integrated end station for the user.
As Antonio Falone, INFN researcher and EuAPS project manager, explained, “the implementation of this project will help strengthen collaboration among the research organizations involved, enhance the dedicated research infrastructure and develop a community of users interested in these new radiation sources”.
EuAPS can count on more than 22 million euros in funding made available through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). These resources are in addition to the funds allocated at European and national level to support the EuPRAXIA consortium that is developing Europe’s first plasma-based particle accelerator research infrastructure. The aim of this project of strategic importance, which also includes EuAPS, is to pave the way for a new generation of plasma- and laser-based accelerators that offer a significant reduction in cost and size compared to traditional devices.
EuPRAXIA coordinator Ralph Assmann said: “EuAPS will be the first, very important, building block towards the implementation of the European EuPRAXIA facility”. “These infrastructures,” said Pierluigi Campana, INFN, “will not only provide a breakthrough in the way we conceive future accelerators, both for fundamental physics and for applications in the medical, industrial and cultural heritage fields, but they will also have a direct economic impact on the industrial and social fabric of Lazio, and more generally, of the country.”
