Project number
27015
Organization
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
A team of engineering students will work together to develop a magnetic field sensor for high-energy physics experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Typically, our experiments involve charging large capacitors up to tens of kilovolts and releasing currents on the scale of 1-1000 kiloamps, which produce large magnetic fields in the 1-10 Tesla range as fast pulse events (microsecond timescales).
Optical:
The goal of this project is to develop an optical magnetic field sensor that uses the Faraday effect to detect magnetic fields inside a vacuum volume. Students will review optical materials and select a crystal with the appropriate dimensions and material properties (Verdet constant) to build the sensor. Students must also develop polarimetry hardware to determine the rotation angle of light exiting the sensor.
Electrical:
For performance testing, the team will need to expose the probe to known magnetic fields either by using either pulsed high-current circuits (preferred) or by using strong permanent magnets. A deliverable of this project will be reporting the sensitivity of the sensor, measured in rotations/Tesla of magnetic field.
Mechanical:
Since this probe needs to be vacuum-compatible, great care will be required in the interfacing and sealing around the probe. Students will need to learn about basic vacuum science, sealing techniques, material outgassing, bake-out processes, and leakage rates. A deliverable will be testing the probe seal on a vacuum chamber down to a pressure of 1e-6 torr. If this is not achievable within the project timeline, then best-effort calculations will suffice.
General:
Students will be expected to develop CAD models of the probe, analog polarimetry hardware, and analytical models for post-processing the datasets. Tools such as SolidWorks, ANSYS products, Code V, LTspice, and VacTran may be helpful. When possible, use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items from vendors to simplify the development process. Develop a bill of materials and material cost estimate associated with the probe, as well as fabrication/assembly documentation detailing how the probe was created.
This probe has the potential to be used on LLNL pulsed power experiments, and we very much look forward to seeing what this team can do.
Optical:
The goal of this project is to develop an optical magnetic field sensor that uses the Faraday effect to detect magnetic fields inside a vacuum volume. Students will review optical materials and select a crystal with the appropriate dimensions and material properties (Verdet constant) to build the sensor. Students must also develop polarimetry hardware to determine the rotation angle of light exiting the sensor.
Electrical:
For performance testing, the team will need to expose the probe to known magnetic fields either by using either pulsed high-current circuits (preferred) or by using strong permanent magnets. A deliverable of this project will be reporting the sensitivity of the sensor, measured in rotations/Tesla of magnetic field.
Mechanical:
Since this probe needs to be vacuum-compatible, great care will be required in the interfacing and sealing around the probe. Students will need to learn about basic vacuum science, sealing techniques, material outgassing, bake-out processes, and leakage rates. A deliverable will be testing the probe seal on a vacuum chamber down to a pressure of 1e-6 torr. If this is not achievable within the project timeline, then best-effort calculations will suffice.
General:
Students will be expected to develop CAD models of the probe, analog polarimetry hardware, and analytical models for post-processing the datasets. Tools such as SolidWorks, ANSYS products, Code V, LTspice, and VacTran may be helpful. When possible, use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items from vendors to simplify the development process. Develop a bill of materials and material cost estimate associated with the probe, as well as fabrication/assembly documentation detailing how the probe was created.
This probe has the potential to be used on LLNL pulsed power experiments, and we very much look forward to seeing what this team can do.