The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has made the planned SoLID experiment (Solenoidal Large Intensity Device) tangible with the help of a 3D printed model. The model, which sits on a desk, is intended to give researchers and decision-makers a better idea of the structure and operation of the planned detector, which could shape physics research in the coming years.
SoLID is a detector being developed as part of the 12 GeV upgrade at Jefferson Lab to study the internal 3D structure of protons and neutrons. It will use high-energy collisions to analyze the role of gluons and explore possible phenomena beyond the Standard Model. However, the structure of this complex system was difficult to imagine, which brought the idea of a 3D printed model into play. Zein-Eddine Meziani, senior physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, suggested making a model. PhD student Melanie Cardona took on the task.
“In the old days, trying to make this model would be difficult to have all the details in there,” said Jefferson Lab Hall A and C Staff Scientist and SoLID Project Manager, Jian-Ping Chen. “Today, with 3D printing, this became easier to accomplish.”
Using a small 3D printer and PLA plastic, Cardona created the 1:30 scale model. Larger components such as the magnet required up to 15 hours of printing time.“Issues would come up where the printer got clogged and a print would stop in the middle of the night,” Cardona explained. “At one point, I thought about implementing a camera that could monitor it overnight.” Nevertheless, Cardona was able to complete the model over six months in her spare time.
The finished model includes a figure to illustrate the scale and is now not only appreciated by researchers, but also used in the presentation of the project to the US Department of Energy. SoLID is seen as a potentially groundbreaking experiment in the field of nuclear physics, the realization of which is currently being evaluated by the US Office of Science.
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