Behind the model: Science inspired by Lego blocks

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Lego models are not just for kids. They inspire engineers and scientists, too.

Just ask Walt Akers, chief systems engineer for experimental nuclear physics at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. This past April, Akers was tasked with creating a 3D-printed model of a section of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a next-generation particle accelerator being built at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in partnership with Jefferson Lab.

And it needed to be done before the Jefferson Lab 2024 Open House in June and an open house event in Brookhaven later in the year.

Though Akers had experience working with local museums to develop 3D models, completing this mock-up in such a short window was a challenge.

“Once we decided to go for it, we had very little time,” Akers said. “We essentially worked 16-hour days for a month and a half to get everything done.”

Akers and his team chose to represent a planned section of the EIC known as the IP-6 interaction region, which is essentially a collision point in the ring-shaped accelerator. At the center of this region is the ePIC (electron-proton/ion collider) detector.

However, given the EIC project's 10-year timeline and the fact that even the best-laid plans are subject to change, the team opted for a model with pieces that can be swapped out if needed.

“It was a concept from the world of Lego,” Akers said. “We called it the ‘Lego model’ because we wanted to be able to adjust the parts.”

After weeks of working with scientists and engineers to finalize the model's design, Akers began building. The main components of the model were 3D-printed, but Akers incorporated a few practical features. Those include miniature gravel composed of sandbag grains and pebbles, along with beamlines fashioned from welding rods provided by Jefferson Lab’s Target Group.

While this model was a sight to see at the Open House, it plays a crucial role in how scientists visualize the real version.

“Space is everything,” Akers explained. “In a design like this, you can have the best ideas in the world, but you’ve got to have enough room to put it together. So, for a model like this, its most important attribute for us is to discover if everything will fit.”

Although Akers spent intensive hours perfecting this scale version, the EIC design represents the contributions of scientists from around the world.

Further Reading
Electron-Ion Collider
EIC | ePIC Collaboration
Jefferson Lab 2024 Open House Recap

By Xavier Gardner