The potential of the ILC beam dump for high-intensity and large-area irradiation field with atmospheric-like neutrons and muons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that ILC beam dumps can generate high-intensity, atmospheric-like neutron and muon fluxes suitable for irradiation studies, enabling large-area exposure and advancing soft error research.

Contribution

It introduces the potential of ILC beam dumps as a source of cosmic-ray-like neutrons and muons for irradiation fields, with detailed flux and spectrum analysis.

Findings

Neutron fluxes are about 10^11 times cosmic rays perpendicular to beam axis.

Muon fluxes are about 10^8 times cosmic rays downstream of beam dumps.

Large-area irradiation (1 m^2 or more) is feasible with these fluxes.

Abstract

We evaluate the neutron and muon fluxes produced in the ILC beam dumps by Monte Carlo simulations and discuss their potential use in irradiation fields. We show that the beam dumps can provide high-intensity neutron and muon fluxes with spectra quite similar to secondary cosmic rays, which are suitable for soft error studies. The beam dumps deliver neutrons about $10^{11}$ times the secondary cosmic rays on spaces perpendicular to the beam axis and muons $10^8$ times downstream of the beam dumps in the initial phase of the ILC. Large-area irradiation of 1\,m$^2$ or more is possible. Differences in the energy distribution of muons in electron and positron beam dumps are also discussed for particle physics experiments.