UniBEaM Optical Fibre Beam Profiler, 25 mm

What is UniBeam?

UniBEaM is a particle beam profiling system – similar to a linear wire scanner except an optical sensor fiber is used instead of a metal wire. The probe scans horizontally and vertically through the distance range set by the operator and then plots the beam profiles. Unlike a helical wire scanner, the profiles are truly orthogonal, and the scanning range is controllable by the user.

D-Pace licensed UniBEaM  from AEC-LHEP of the University of Bern.

How does UniBEaM work?

The Ø200µm SiO2 sensing fibers scintillate as the fibers pass through the beam.  The scintillation light is transmitted through the short sensor fiber into a multimode optical fiber, which transmits the light 15m or more with minimal attenuation and no electromagnetic susceptibility.   The light is converted by a high-sensitivity photo sensor located in the UniBEaM controller  and the beam profiles are ultimately displayed on a monitor.

What is included with the system?

The UniBeaM probe is an inline device and is available in a CF40 or KF40 flange configuration. The insertion length can be as little as 70mm. The body of the probe is aluminum. The maximum measurable beam diameter is 25mm.  Four cables connect the probe to the controller – two motor cables and two fiberoptic signal cables, which are all provided.

How do I communicate with UniBEaM?

A windows-based user interface is provided, which can be installed on a remote PC to operate the profiler. However, the user can also communicate directly with the controller using the controller of their choice and TCP/IP text-based commands.

Why use UniBEaM instead of a standard wire scanner?

UniBEaM was originally developed by the University of Bern to measure 18 MeV protons with beam currents from nA to µA. Because most of the beam at such energies passes through the fiber, less power is absorbed by the fiber than a tungsten wire, allowing it to be used at higher beam currents. The maximum absorbed power density the fiber can be used at is 0.1 W/mm^2. The plot below illustrates that as the beam energy increases, the allowable current density also increases.

UniBEaM is also well-suited for low beam power, due to the large dynamic range of the fibers. Customers have used UniBEaM for electron and X-rays beams, neutral beams, as well as charged particle beams (protons etc.). UniBEaM scans beams in mutually exclusive axes, unlike helical wire scanners.

Previous customers include the Australian National University, the University of Michigan, the Federal Institute of Metrology (MATAS), Switzerland, and others.