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Completed TRL 2 (started at 1, targeting 2)
Crystals have a periodic lattice structure that incorporates very strong periodic electric fields which are capable of controlling the trajectories of incoming charged particles. Bent crystals can be used to refract or reflect or absorb incident charged particle beams, with typical applications involving single energy (monoenergetic) beams of a fixed charge which are incident on the crystal from a fixed direction (angle). The major hazard to long duration space flight is due to radiation produced from galactic cosmic rays (GCR), which come from all directions, with a wide range of energies and a wide range of charges. The aim of the present work is to write a computer code for an initial design of a crystal shield. Future work will involve refining the code and the design.
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