Dr. Sebastian Keckert is awarded this year’s Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics by the German Physical Society (DPG). The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and honors his outstanding research results in the field of new materials for superconducting high-frequency systems. Pfeiffer Vacuum is a sponsor of this award which is conferred annually by the DPG Working Group on Accelerator Physics in cooperation with renowned institutions and corporations. The institutions German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research and Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) as well as the companies Pfeiffer Vacuum and RI Research Instruments jointly honor young scientists. The goal is to recognize the work of young researchers in the field of accelerator physics at an early stage of their research at a university or scientific institution.
Keckert has achieved a decisive further development involving the principle of the quadrupole resonator for testing superconducting materials. The improvements he has made are now used by several laboratories worldwide. They provide the foundation for precise and comprehensive characterization of the high-frequency properties of new superconducting material systems. Among his successes is the first precise characterization of a multilayer superconductor with the potential to outperform the conventionally used material niobium in its attainable field strength as well as its power loss. Mobilizing these potentials is of considerable importance for designing future accelerator systems, particularly when sustainability aspects are considered.
“The next big step for superconducting particle accelerators is cavities which use superconducting thin-film layers”, explains Keckert. “This would allow cavities to be operated at 4 Kelvin instead of 2 Kelvin. Significant savings in the energy used for cooling purposes could be achieved as a result. In addition, the use of simpler cooling systems opens up entirely new applications for superconducting particle accelerators.”
Andreas Schopphoff, Head of Market Segment R&D at Pfeiffer Vacuum, outlines the importance of vacuum technology for cutting-edge research: “We are pleased that our products are used in accelerator systems to obtain new research results and to make these systems more sustainable. Advanced vacuum solutions not only enable precise experiments, but also an efficient use of resources and a reduction in the energy consumption of these systems. Superconducting cavities can accelerate particles to high energies very efficiently.”
The DPG Working Group on Accelerator Physics (AKBP) is an association of experts from the field of accelerator physics in Germany. It works to advance and develop accelerator physics and organizes regular events as well as conferences to promote an exchange between scientists, industry and politics.
