top of page
Accelerator Magnet PBL Particle Beam Lasers

Particle Beam Lasers, Inc. is a small R&D group that is engaged in the design and development of components and subsystems for the control and acceleration of particle beams.

About PBL

The origins of Particle Beam Lasers, Inc. (PBL) date back to May, 1984 when it was incorporated in the State of Wisconsin and opened its headquarters in Madison, WI. Its first successful SBIR was in 1986 on a project entitled “Design of a Multistage Electron Beam Collector to Enable Free Electron Laser Power Source Development”. The technology developed under that SBIR was related to technology later used at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in its accelerator division in the early 1990’s. PBL was dormant for many years as the company principals were pursuing other research. Then, in the mid 2000’s with a new emphasis on superconducting magnet development, PBL performed excellent research, with record breaking achievements through the early 2010’s. Today, PBL continues its exciting work on revolutionary high field magnet technology. We are presently headquartered in Waxahachie, TX and also have offices and employees located in California, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts.

 

PBL, Inc., has some of the most experienced magnet designers, experts, and senior managers in the world: Dr. Ronald Scanlan (retired head of the LBNL Superconducting Magnet Group); PBL collaborator Dr. Ramesh Gupta (BNL Superconducting Magnet Division scientist leading the HTS magnet R&D group); Mr. Robert Weggel (retired assistant head of magnet design at the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory at MIT); Dr. Erich Willen (retired head of the BNL Superconducting Magnet Division); Dr. Al Zeller (retired associate project manager at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams); and Dr. Stephan Kahn (35 years of expertise on superconducting magnets). Each of the aforementioned have made many contributions in the field of accelerator magnets as can be seen in the brief bios elsewhere on this website. PBL’s President, Mr. James Kolonko, has almost 50 years of experience administrating federal and state contracts and grants and overseeing the business operations of large (multi-million dollar) science projects. PBL’s Executive-Vice-President and Director of Marketing, Dr. Delbert Larson, has decades of experience in accelerator physics and with the patent application process.

 

PBL has developed a strong collaboration with the BNL Superconducting Magnet Division (SMD) which has a staff of over forty full time employees including scientists, engineers and technicians. PBL has a unique team of highly qualified engineering and scientific professionals. PBL uses the combined expertise of the BNL/PBL team in designing, procuring parts (some are highly specialized) and overseeing the construction and testing of superconducting magnets. Building and testing of high field magnets requires several expensive tooling and test facilities costing tens of millions of dollars. Since that is beyond the present budget of the company, PBL uses the facilities and expertise of the staff at the BNL magnet division. It has signed a formal agreement with BNL on the intellectual and other rights of the technology developed.

PBL History

Our Team Members

Meet our team of cutting-edge scientists with a 150 years of combined experience.

Mr. James "Jim" Kolonko serves as PBL’s President. Jim has almost 50 years of experience administrating...

James Kolonko

James Kolonko

President

Dr. Delbert "Del" Larson serves as PBL's Executive Vice President. Del had a career as an accelerator...

Delbert Larson

Delbert Larson

Executive Vice President

Mr. Benjamin "Ben" Larson serves as PBL's IT support. Ben built the PBL server system that houses our...

Ben Larson

Ben Larson

Senior Physicist

Ramesh Gupta has more than three decades of experience in the design of superconducting accelerator magnets for...

Ramesh Gupta

Ramesh Gupta

Senior Scientist

Ron Scanlan's early career from 1970-1975 was at the General Electric R&D Center, where he worked on developing a...

Ronald Scanlan

Ronald Scanlan

Principal Investigator and Senior Scientist

Robert "Bob" Weggel has designed and assisted in the fabrication and testing of magnets of all types: ...

Robert Weggel

Robert Weggel

Principal Investigator and Senior Engineer

Carl Weggel has led a charmed life starting with his summertime magnet design and analysis career at MIT in the summer of...

Carl Weggel

Carl Weggel

Senior Engineer

Erich Willen holds a PhD in Nuclear Physics from the Johns Hopkins University. Before retiring in 2006, he...

Erich Willen

Erich Willen

Principal Investigator and Senior Physicist

Al Zeller began his career in nuclear science, beginning in grad school in the early 70s and continued in nuclear...

Al Zeller

Al Zeller

Senior Physicist

Stephen Kahn's career started as an experimental elementary particle physicist specializing in the analysis of bubble chamber experiments...

Steve Kahn

Steve Kahn

Senior Physicist

Very high field magnets made with ReBCO high temperature superconducting tape are needed for Future circular colliders (atom smashers). We performed a real demonstration of an actual high field hybrid magnet using traditional low temperature superconducting coils in concert with ReBCO coils.

A Hybrid HTS/LTS Superconductor Design for High-Field Accelerator Magnets.

The next generation “atom smashers” will require beam bending magnets that must be stronger, lower in cost, and higher in reliability than those used in previous high energy accelerators. We explored an alternative design that should be less expensive and easier to build than the present designs.

An Accelerator Quality High-Field Common Coil Dipole Magnet

The proposed electron-ion-collider will require special high field quadrupole magnets for ion beams so that the electron beams can operate under the needed low field conditions. We explored alternative designs that are flexible and should be less expensive and easier to build than the present designs.

High-Field, Large Aperture Quadrupoles for the EIC

The proposed electron-ion-collider will require shielding of the high field ion beam magnets so that the electron beams can operate under the needed low field conditions. This proposal will explore an alternative design that should be less expensive and easier to build than the present designs.

Field Compensation in EIC Magnets with Passive SC Shield

A High Temperature, high field (25 Tesla) Solenoid for Neutron Scattering is critical for advancing the science of neutron scattering, which many consider to be the most valuable—commercially as well as academically of all tools for investigating matter.

HTS Solenoid for Neutron Scattering

A new generation of high field magnets utilizing high temperature superconductors are being developed for applications such as neutron scattering spectroscopy. PBL investigated an innovative approach to protecting high field magnets from damage that can occur when the superconductors lose their superconductivity due to heating.

Quench Protection for a Neutron Scattering Magnet

The next generation “atom smashers” will require dipole magnets of very high magnetic field. The PBL/BNL team has developed an innovative block coil design that can be used to make magnets shorter and more reliable.

Overpass/Underpass Coil Design for High-Field Dipoles

The proposed electron-ion-collider will need several short, medium field superconducting magnets. This proposal will not only reduce the cost and increase the reliability of magnets for the EIC but will also demonstrate a new type of efficient magnet design and construction applicable to various accelerator, medical and other applications.

Superconducting Magnet for the EIC

Portfolio

bottom of page