Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > IU, Crane recognize partnership to complete $9 million LINAC project

IU physicist and LINAC principal investigator Paul Sokol, left, IU Provost Karen Hanson and Crane commander Captain Charles LaSota were among the speakers at Monday's ceremony.
IU physicist and LINAC principal investigator Paul Sokol, left, IU Provost Karen Hanson and Crane commander Captain Charles LaSota were among the speakers at Monday's ceremony.

Abstract:
Indiana University and Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center recognized the success of an ongoing partnership to enhance national security and advance research opportunities in life sciences, physics and other fields during a ceremony Monday (April 13) at IU's Cyclotron Facility.

IU, Crane recognize partnership to complete $9 million LINAC project

BLOOMINGTON, IN | Posted on April 14th, 2009

IU has received $7.83 million in collaboration with Crane since 2007 to design improvements and upgrade equipment on a linear accelerator (LINAC) that will be used at the Cyclotron to test the effects of radiation on Department of Defense space and missile systems.

A linear accelerator in use more than 20 years at Crane no longer meets modern technological standards.

As the new Advanced LINAC Facility (ALF) supports the Defense Department's needs to ensure the survivability and reliability of space and missile systems in the radiation environment encountered in space, the project also will directly support a variety of IU research initiatives with access to a high brightness, fast pulsed X-ray source that can provide fluxes well in excess of those available in the most advanced university-based facilities.

"It's a win-win project and an unbelievably important partnership," said IU Provost Karen Hanson. "And it clearly satisfies IU's primary three-fold mission of providing opportunities for enhancing research, teaching and service."

IU researchers expect the facility to support development of innovations in the life sciences, including the rapidly expanding area of inquiry into nanobiological systems, and specifically, nano- and micro-fabrication to build devices for studying biosystems. The ability to organize matter in complex, communicative, non-equilibrium environments, across length scales from atoms to organisms, make biological systems the ultimate working example of nanotechnology.

The facility, which is expected to become fully operational in about two years, also will make important contributions to the study of energy related problems. The ALF will provide unique capabilities to study and possibly make critical contributions to new technologies addressing solar and biofuel energy generation, energy storage connected to nanotubes and hydrides, and energy systems like LED-based lighting designs.

A linear accelerator is an electrical device that accelerates subatomic particles. Most commonly used to deliver radiation treatments to cancer patients, the LINAC at the Cyclotron will deliver X-ray fluxes 10,000 times greater than those available in the most advanced university-based facilities and, in turn, will allow for dynamic life science research like protein folding to be studied.

"This is a prime example of the value that can be added by collaborations between the university and other agencies," said IU physicist Paul Sokol, principal investigator on the project. "Crane will end up with the access to a world class testing facility, and IU will have world class research facilities."

All U.S. Defense space and missile systems are required to survive radiation effects found in space, and prompt dose rate effects also arise from nuclear weapons. LINACs are a fundamental tool used to characterize the response of electronics in these types of environments, said Crane commander Captain Charles LaSota.

"These are high reliability systems that have to operate perfectly the first time and every time," he said. "And it's the men and women of Crane and here at IU that carry out this work that we rely on, and this tool will allow them to continue that work."

Federal support for the project began in 2007 with a $1.63 million appropriation, followed by $3 million in 2008 and $3.2 million in 2009. A congressional request for an appropriation of $1.17 million is currently pending for 2010.

U.S. Rep. Baron Hill said the project underscored Crane's importance as an economic shareholder in the region.

"Crane is the second largest employer in Southern Indiana so it's important we keep Crane here," he said. "We've had base closings all around the country, and we don't want that to happen to Crane."

Sokol said the next phase of work on the LINAC will be the installation in coming weeks of four 17-ton magnets that will form the core of the storage ring for the accelerator.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Steve Chaplin
University Communications
812-856-1896

Copyright © Indiana University

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Openings/New facilities/Groundbreaking/Expansion

OCSiAl expands its graphene nanotube production capacities to Europe June 17th, 2022

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Moves Corporate Headquarters to its Most Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility in New York April 27th, 2021

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology relocates to advanced manufacturing facility: Move driven by exceptional business growth February 12th, 2021

RIT to upgrade Semiconductor and Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory through $1 million state grant: Upgrades to clean room will enhance university’s research capabilities in photonics, quantum technologies and smart systems August 16th, 2019

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Academic/Education

Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024

Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022

National Space Society Helps Fund Expanding Frontier’s Brownsville Summer Entrepreneur Academy: National Space Society and Club for the Future to Support Youth Development Program in South Texas June 24th, 2022

How a physicist aims to reduce the noise in quantum computing: NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical April 1st, 2022

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Alliances/Trade associations/Partnerships/Distributorships

Manchester graphene spin-out signs $1billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges: Landmark deal for the commercialisation of graphene April 14th, 2023

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners highlighting quantum technology solutions, from Chicago and beyond September 23rd, 2022

CEA & Partners Present ‘Powerful Step Towards Industrialization’ Of Linear Si Quantum Dot Arrays Using FDSOI Material at VLSI Symposium: Invited paper reports 3-step characterization chain and resulting methodologies and metrics that accelerate learning, provide data on device pe June 17th, 2022

University of Illinois Chicago joins Brookhaven Lab's Quantum Center June 10th, 2022

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project