Prospects For A Muon Spin Resonance Facility In The Fermilab MuCool Test Area

TL;DR

This paper explores the feasibility of transforming Fermilab's MuCool Test Area into a dedicated Muon Spin Resonance facility, proposing two operational scenarios and a novel timing scheme for muon production.

Contribution

It introduces a new plan for repurposing Fermilab's MTA for MuSR, including innovative timing techniques and two feasible upgrade stages.

Findings

Two feasible operational scenarios identified.

A novel timing scheme for muon production proposed.

MTA can host competitive MuSR experiments.

Abstract

This paper investigates the feasibility of re-purposing the MuCool Test Area (MTA) beamline and experimental hall to support a Muon Spin Resonance (MuSR) facility, which would make it the only such facility in the US. This report reviews the basic muon production concepts studied and operationally implemented at TRIUMF, PSI, and RAL and their application in the context of the MTA facility. Two scenarios were determined feasible. One, an initial minimal-shielding and capital-cost investment stage with a single secondary muon beamline that utilizes an existing high-intensity beam absorber and, another, upgraded stage, that implements an optimized production target pile, a proximate high-intensity absorber, and optimized secondary muon lines. A unique approach is proposed which chops or strips a macropulse of H- beam into a micropulse substructure - a muon creation timing scheme - which allows Muon Spin Resonance experiments in a linac environment. With this timing scheme, and attention to target design and secondary beam collection, the MTA can host enabling and competitive Muon Spin Resonance experiments.