Radiabeam technologies, control #3418-1534 nuclear energy waste transmutation optimized now (newton), DE-FOA-0003418 title: NB3SN proton driver linac for accelerator driven systems the class of…

The Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded a $1.44 million cooperative agreement to Radiabeam Technologies, LLC on February 19, 2026, under the Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) program (CFDA 81.135) to develop thin-film niobium-tin (NB3SN) superconducting cavities for proton driver linacs in accelerator-driven systems for nuclear waste transmutation.

Radiabeam will design and develop smaller, higher-performing superconducting cavities using thin-film niobium-tin technology produced through vapor diffusion, replacing current large niobium cavities (1–2 meters) with compact "coffee can"-sized units. This approach reduces cryomodule size from freight-car scale to desk scale, decreases liquid helium cooling requirements, and eliminates single-point cryogenic plant failures by distributing cooling through fault-tolerant cryocoolers. The resulting accelerator technology addresses the challenge posed by approximately 90,000 metric tons of nuclear waste at operating U.S. plants by enabling high-energy proton beams to create intense neutrons for waste transmutation.

The recipient is Radiabeam Technologies, LLC, a Santa Monica-based small business specializing in particle accelerator components and radiation technologies. The period of performance runs from February 19, 2026, through February 18, 2029, with work performed in Santa Monica, California. The obligated amount is $1.44 million.

Radiabeam technologies, control #3418-1534 nuclear energy waste transmutation optimized now (newton), DE-FOA-0003418 title: NB3SN proton driver linac for accelerator driven systems the class of particle accelerators built from superconducting cavities stacked together to form a linear accelerator offers the greatest potential of any existing technology to address the challenge posed by the 90,000 metric tons of waste at our operating nuclear plants. Here, accelerated proton beams with energies near one billion electron-volts would create intense neutrons, essentially burning unwanted waste. However, today's cavities made from purified niobium (element 41 on the periodic table) are large (1-2 meters), cost several hundred thousand dollars each, require considerable liquid helium at 4 degrees kelvin for cooling and are subject to 'trips' from the cryogenic plant. Units of 6-8 cavities, known as cryomodules, resemble railroad freight cars, and dozens would be needed here. We propose a practical approach to transformationally reduce the size and cost and improve the reliability of the superconducting accelerator through the development of much smaller, better-performing superconducting cavities based on an emerging technology known as thin-film niobium-tin (NB3SN) and produced in a process called vapor diffusion. The new niobium-tin cavities would replace today's large, water-heater-sized cavities with small ''coffee can''-sized cavities. Cryomodule units would be reduced from the size of a freight car to an office desk, and the entire accelerator would require much less helium for cooling. Critically, niobium-tin technology enables the elimination of the single point failure associated with the cryoplant by replacing IT with a distributed set of fault-tolerant cryocoolers.