The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is driven by an 800 million electronvolt (MeV) proton accelerator that delivered first beam in 1972. The LANSCE accelerator is unique in that it accelerates both H- (to full energy) and H+ ions (up to 100 MeV presently) and supports five separate experimental areas that operate simultaneously with each having different timing and beam current requirements. The LANSCE accelerator is also fairly unique in that many of the components on the front end of the accelerator are original to when originally commissioned in 1972, including the ion sources, Cockcroft-Walton (CW) generators, and the Drift Tube LINAC (DTL) which accelerates the beam up to 100 MeV.
The purpose of the LANSCE Accelerator Modernization Project (LAMP) will be to replace and modernize multiple accelerator components in order to improve the beam delivery and reduce the maintenance necessary on these systems as the facility prepares for operation through 2050. The Scope of the modernization currently includes the LANSCE front-end (up to 100 MeV). This scope includes modernizing the two ion sources, replacing the CW generators with a modern Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ), and replacing the DTL which is showing severe degradation and is far beyond its expected lifespan.
LAMP is being planned as a congressional line-item project executed under DOE Order 413.3b for the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA).
