ASTeC's MaRS group has been collaborating with CERN for the Zero-Power Tunable Optics (ZEPTO) project. The aim of this project is to design and build prototypes of a new type of quadrupole magnet based on permanent magnets and using no coils. Two prototypes (one high-strength, one low-strength) have now been successfully built and tested using magnet measurement equipment at Daresbury Laboratory and CERN. The results for the high-strength quadrupole prototype have now been published in the Journal of Instrumentation. The journal article is published under Open Access and can be found here (link opens in a new window).
Measurements of the low-strength quadrupole are currently under way at CERN. The collaboration has embarked on a new initiative to build dipoles based on the same permanent magnet concept. These magnets have the potential to significantly reduce electricity consumption for future particle accelerators.
