A study on the relationship between halo spread through cleavage planes of various minerals (conducted for 7 minerals)
Svanik Garg, Aradhya Jain, Krishay Sutodia, Zubin Mehra, Yuv Agarwal “Scattered Minds”
The Doon School
Introduction
Although many individuals worldwide question the extensive research in the field of particle physics, we recognize that this field has far-reaching consequences, in that its applications are widespread and further research in the field is crucial. Many applications related to the field, stem from understanding the internal structures of minerals. Understanding the internal structures of minerals could further our understanding of environmental processes, make advancements in the field of geology and make improvements increasing yields in the manufacturing industry. When a proton beam collides with a mineral sample, some of the protons scatter off the sample’s atoms and undergo a change in direction and energy. This scattering phenomenon produces a halo of scattered particles surrounding the central beam, which is known as the beam halo. The properties of the beam halo are sensitive to the internal structure of the sample and can be used to study the arrangement of atoms and molecules within the material. We will investigate how the properties of the beam halo can be used to determine the density and composition of the sample, as well as its atomic and molecular arrangement.
Why do we want to go?
Our school has constantly participated in CERN activities, and to provide enthusiastic physics students with the most exposure possible, they give us the chance to attend the Masterclass programme there each year. Although the covid-19 pandemic prevented us from taking advantage of this opportunity, we regarded this competition as another chance to learn more about particle physics and perhaps even travel to CERN. We were highly motivated to enter the competition after speaking with some of the students from our school who had previously participated in BL4S and had nothing but admiration for it. We are hoping that this experience will help us grow in our understanding of the amazing work that constantly empowers the world behind the scenes. Several of us also hope to become physicists someday and work on fascinating large-scale initiatives like the LHC, and this competition might be the perfect way of experiencing it first-hand.
Experiment
Research Question and Hypothesis
‘What does the beam halo, produced by the collision of a proton beam and test sample, show about a sample’s internal structure?’
We hypothesize that the scattering/production of a halo due to collision of the proton beam with the test sample will be affected by the cleavage planes of the samples themselves. We predict that an understanding of the size, shape and spread of the halo should provide conclusive information on the structure of various samples tested.
Theoretical Background
Halo
Any particle beam will undergo a phenomenon known as the beam halo. In this phenomenon, a beam of particles will naturally undergo scattering, producing an almost circular region around it with a higher-than-expected rate of particles. The region around this is known as the beam halo. In many experiments, the beam halo is a big source of error as a thin and steady beam of particles is required but the beam halo is something that tends to mess this up.
Scattering
When a particle passes through any material, it interacts with the electrons and nucleus of that material. Since these are both charged this means that the particles that are passing through may get deflected. This causes particles to no longer travel along the original trajectory. This phenomenon is called scattering.
Beam properties
We will be using a 6 GeV proton beam for the experiment. Since we will be investigating the scattering through rocks, a 6 GeV beam should provide enough energy after being scattered to be able to measure accurate particle densities using the halo counter.
Target Materials
The following target materials will be studied, with the proton beam targeted both along and against cleavage planes.
| SI. No | Mineral |
| 1 | Talc |
| 2 | Micah |
| 3 | Halite |
| 4 | Fluorite |
| 5 | Calcite |
| 6 | Biotite |
| 7 | Feldspar |
Experiment Diagram
Method
In the experiment, a 6 GeV proton beam will be used to produce a halo. The first step is to pass the beam through a collimator. The purpose of the collimator is to ensure that any halo produced is a result of the experiment and not due to any errant or stray particles. Once the beam has passed through the collimator, it will be directed towards the sample. When the beam passes through the sample, it can interact with the atoms or molecules present in the material, leading to the production of a halo of particles.
After passing through the sample, the beam will be directed towards a halo counter. The halo counter is a device that measures the spread of the halo. The halo particles that are produced due to the interaction of the beam with the sample will be detected by the halo counter. The halo counter will provide information about the size, shape, and spread of the halo. This data will be used to understand the structure of the sample, with comparisons to existing and known samples.
What we hope to take away
Constructing this proposal for a Particle Physics experiment introduced us to a multitude of new concepts and theories which are not taught in high school. This experience stoked our curiosity and motivated us to pursue Particle Physics to a greater extent. We now hope to take a longer leap and perform our experiment at the CERN facility. This opportunity would provide us with the hands-on experience of seeing the pinnacle of science upfront and perhaps motivate us to become future researchers.
Outreach Program for our school
Our team prepared for the Beamline project by taking online courses to understand the complexities of particle physics, which we found interesting and engaging. We want to share our knowledge with students at our school and inspire them to explore the field of science. Our Science Club plans to start a course that introduces younger students to the basics of particle physics, using our learnings from the BL4S project and other online resources as the foundation. We hope this initiative will encourage students to delve deeper into the subject and inspire them to participate in future editions of BL4S.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Gyaneshwaram Gothinagaram for providing us with his valuable time and guiding us throughout the process of ideating the experiment. Additionally, we are indebted to Mr. Rajesh Majumdar, our school coordinator, for facilitating our participation in the competition.
Bibliography
- Author links open overlay panelA Lagoyannis a b, et al. “Probing the 6he Halo
Structure with Elastic and Inelastic Proton Scattering.” Physics Letters B, North-Holland, 24 Sept. 2001, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269301008875.
- Beam Halo Definitions and Its Consequences – Accelconf.web.cern.ch. https://accelconf.web.cern.ch/HB2012/papers/THO3A04.pdf?n=HB2012/papers /THO3A04.pdf.
- Characterizing a proton beam with two different methods in beam halo … (n.d.).
Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/16741137/38/8/087002
- Vaknin, Uriel & Sherman, Dov & Gorfman, Semën. (2021). Geometrical prediction of cleavage planes in crystal structures. IUCrJ. 8.
10.1107/S2052252521007272.
A study on the relationship between halo spread through cleavage planes of various minerals (conducted for 7 minerals)
Svanik Garg, Aradhya Jain, Krishay Sutodia, Zubin Mehra, Yuv Agarwal “Scattered Minds”
The Doon School
Introduction
Although many individuals worldwide question the extensive research in the field of particle physics, we recognize that this field has far-reaching consequences, in that its applications are widespread and further research in the field is crucial. Many applications related to the field, stem from understanding the internal structures of minerals. Understanding the internal structures of minerals could further our understanding of environmental processes, make advancements in the field of geology and make improvements increasing yields in the manufacturing industry. When a proton beam collides with a mineral sample, some of the protons scatter off the sample’s atoms and undergo a change in direction and energy. This scattering phenomenon produces a halo of scattered particles surrounding the central beam, which is known as the beam halo. The properties of the beam halo are sensitive to the internal structure of the sample and can be used to study the arrangement of atoms and molecules within the material. We will investigate how the properties of the beam halo can be used to determine the density and composition of the sample, as well as its atomic and molecular arrangement.
Why do we want to go?
Our school has constantly participated in CERN activities, and to provide enthusiastic physics students with the most exposure possible, they give us the chance to attend the Masterclass programme there each year. Although the covid-19 pandemic prevented us from taking advantage of this opportunity, we regarded this competition as another chance to learn more about particle physics and perhaps even travel to CERN. We were highly motivated to enter the competition after speaking with some of the students from our school who had previously participated in BL4S and had nothing but admiration for it. We are hoping that this experience will help us grow in our understanding of the amazing work that constantly empowers the world behind the scenes. Several of us also hope to become physicists someday and work on fascinating large-scale initiatives like the LHC, and this competition might be the perfect way of experiencing it first-hand.
Experiment
Research Question and Hypothesis
‘What does the beam halo, produced by the collision of a proton beam and test sample, show about a sample’s internal structure?’
We hypothesize that the scattering/production of a halo due to collision of the proton beam with the test sample will be affected by the cleavage planes of the samples themselves. We predict that an understanding of the size, shape and spread of the halo should provide conclusive information on the structure of various samples tested.
Theoretical Background
Halo
Any particle beam will undergo a phenomenon known as the beam halo. In this phenomenon, a beam of particles will naturally undergo scattering, producing an almost circular region around it with a higher-than-expected rate of particles. The region around this is known as the beam halo. In many experiments, the beam halo is a big source of error as a thin and steady beam of particles is required but the beam halo is something that tends to mess this up.
Scattering
When a particle passes through any material, it interacts with the electrons and nucleus of that material. Since these are both charged this means that the particles that are passing through may get deflected. This causes particles to no longer travel along the original trajectory. This phenomenon is called scattering.
Beam properties
We will be using a 6 GeV proton beam for the experiment. Since we will be investigating the scattering through rocks, a 6 GeV beam should provide enough energy after being scattered to be able to measure accurate particle densities using the halo counter.
Target Materials
The following target materials will be studied, with the proton beam targeted both along and against cleavage planes.
| SI. No | Mineral |
| 1 | Talc |
| 2 | Micah |
| 3 | Halite |
| 4 | Fluorite |
| 5 | Calcite |
| 6 | Biotite |
| 7 | Feldspar |
Experiment Diagram
Method
In the experiment, a 6 GeV proton beam will be used to produce a halo. The first step is to pass the beam through a collimator. The purpose of the collimator is to ensure that any halo produced is a result of the experiment and not due to any errant or stray particles. Once the beam has passed through the collimator, it will be directed towards the sample. When the beam passes through the sample, it can interact with the atoms or molecules present in the material, leading to the production of a halo of particles.
After passing through the sample, the beam will be directed towards a halo counter. The halo counter is a device that measures the spread of the halo. The halo particles that are produced due to the interaction of the beam with the sample will be detected by the halo counter. The halo counter will provide information about the size, shape, and spread of the halo. This data will be used to understand the structure of the sample, with comparisons to existing and known samples.
What we hope to take away
Constructing this proposal for a Particle Physics experiment introduced us to a multitude of new concepts and theories which are not taught in high school. This experience stoked our curiosity and motivated us to pursue Particle Physics to a greater extent. We now hope to take a longer leap and perform our experiment at the CERN facility. This opportunity would provide us with the hands-on experience of seeing the pinnacle of science upfront and perhaps motivate us to become future researchers.
Outreach Program for our school
Our team prepared for the Beamline project by taking online courses to understand the complexities of particle physics, which we found interesting and engaging. We want to share our knowledge with students at our school and inspire them to explore the field of science. Our Science Club plans to start a course that introduces younger students to the basics of particle physics, using our learnings from the BL4S project and other online resources as the foundation. We hope this initiative will encourage students to delve deeper into the subject and inspire them to participate in future editions of BL4S.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Gyaneshwaram Gothinagaram for providing us with his valuable time and guiding us throughout the process of ideating the experiment. Additionally, we are indebted to Mr. Rajesh Majumdar, our school coordinator, for facilitating our participation in the competition.
Bibliography
- Author links open overlay panelA Lagoyannis a b, et al. “Probing the 6he Halo
Structure with Elastic and Inelastic Proton Scattering.” Physics Letters B, North-Holland, 24 Sept. 2001, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269301008875.
- Beam Halo Definitions and Its Consequences – Accelconf.web.cern.ch. https://accelconf.web.cern.ch/HB2012/papers/THO3A04.pdf?n=HB2012/papers /THO3A04.pdf.
- Characterizing a proton beam with two different methods in beam halo … (n.d.).
Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/16741137/38/8/087002
- Vaknin, Uriel & Sherman, Dov & Gorfman, Semën. (2021). Geometrical prediction of cleavage planes in crystal structures. IUCrJ. 8.
10.1107/S2052252521007272.
- Introduction 1.1 Liquid Crystals – Rri. http://dspace.rri.res.in/bitstream/2289/3502/16/Chapter%201.pdf.
