Shielding the muon collider interaction region

One of the most serious technical problems in the design of a 2-TeV muon collider arises from muon decay. With 2×10¹² muons in a 2-TeV bunch, 2×10⁵ μ→eνν¯ decays occur per meter. Immersed in strong magnetic fields, the induced electromagnetic showers deposit about 2 kW/meter in the storage ring; far surpassing the heat load capacity of cryogenic systems. Yet a more problematic background is the intense, highly directional, neutrino flux generated by the decays. This background does not respond to conventional shielding techniques; in fact the total radiation dose from neutrino interactions is worsened in the presence of shielding. The work presented here discusses methods to reduce or compensate for the severe decay backgrounds and radiation produced in a very high-energy muon collider