Feasibility Evaluation and Performance Analysis of Wireless Mesh Networks in particle accelerator under Radiation

In the industrial and academic sectors, wireless mesh networks are gaining increasing interest due to the advantages they offer over traditional wireless networks, such as star or point-to-point technologies. Wireless mesh networks are characterized by a decentralized topology, in which each node can communicate directly with the other nodes within the network. Additionally, wireless mesh networks feature self-configuration and self-healing capabilities. This approach provides enhanced reliability, resilience, and scalability, overcoming limitations of non-mesh networks, such as single points of failure, limited coverage, and flexibility. 

These features make wireless mesh networks suitable for dynamic and complex environments, especially relevant for applications in particle accelerator facilities, like the Future Circular Collider, or the space environment, where long distances and their radiation nature are significant challenges. Although mesh networks have found various uses today, their performance under radiation exposure has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. In this work, the dependability of a wireless mesh network was studied within the CHARM facility, exploring and analyzing a network configuration based on a wireless ad hoc network to ensure optimal performance. Beyond network validation, this study highlighted how CHARM provides an ideal environment for testing various network setups, thanks to its large and uniform radiation area, unlike other facilities where testing multiple nodes would be more complicated.