Production of the Superconducting Matching Quadrupoles for the LHC Insertions

The LHC insertions are equipped with individually powered superconducting quadrupole assemblies comprising several quadrupole magnets and orbit correctors, and range in length from 5.3 m to 11.3 m. Following the initial experience in the assembly of the pre-series cold masses, the production has advanced well and about half of the total of 82 units has been produced at CERN. In this paper we present the experience gained in steering the cold mass production, in particular with respect to the alignment requirements. We also report on the field quality and other measurements made for assuring the quality of the quadrupoles

The Construction of the Superconducting Matching Quadrupoles for the LHC Insertions

After several years of effort, the construction of the superconducting matching quadrupoles for the LHC insertions is nearing completion. We retrace the main events of the project from the initial development of the quadrupole magnets of several types to the series production of over 100 complex superconducting magnets, and report on the techniques developed for steering of the production. The main performance parameters for the full series, such as quench training, field quality and magnet geometry are presented. The experience gained in the production of these special superconducting magnets is of considerable value for further development of the LHC insertions

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) - 2018 Summary Report

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a TeV-scale high-luminosity linear e+e- collider under development at CERN. Following the CLIC conceptual design published in 2012, this report provides an overview of the CLIC project, its current status, and future developments. It presents the CLIC physics potential and reports on design, technology, and implementation aspects of the accelerator and the detector. CLIC is foreseen to be built and operated in stages, at centre-of-mass energies of 380 GeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV, respectively. CLIC uses a two-beam acceleration scheme, in which 12 GHz accelerating structures are powered via a high-current drive beam. For the first stage, an alternative with X-band klystron powering is also considered. CLIC accelerator optimisation, technical developments and system tests have resulted in an increased energy efficiency (power around 170 MW) for the 380 GeV stage, together with a reduced cost estimate at the level of 6 billion CHF. The detector concept has been refined using improved software tools. Significant progress has been made on detector technology developments for the tracking and calorimetry systems. A wide range of CLIC physics studies has been conducted, both through full detector simulations and parametric studies, together providing a broad overview of the CLIC physics potential. Each of the three energy stages adds cornerstones of the full CLIC physics programme, such as Higgs width and couplings, top-quark properties, Higgs self-coupling, direct searches, and many precision electroweak measurements. The interpretation of the combined results gives crucial and accurate insight into new physics, largely complementary to LHC and HL-LHC. The construction of the first CLIC energy stage could start by 2026. First beams would be available by 2035, marking the beginning of a broad CLIC physics programme spanning 25-30 years

Measuring and aligning accelerator components to the nanometre scale

First tests have shown that the precision and accuracy required for linear colliders and other future accelerators of 10 micrometers is costly and lengthy with a process based on independent fiducializations of single components. Indeed, the systematic and random errors at each step add up during the process with the final accuracy of each component center well above the target. A new EC-funded training network named PACMAN (a study on Particle Accelerator Components Metrology and Alignment to the Nanometer scale) will propose and develop an alternative solution integrating all the alignment steps and a large number of technologies at the same time and location, in order to gain the required precision and accuracy. The network composed of seven industrial partners and nine universities and research centers will be based at CERN where ten doctoral students will explore the technology limitations of metrology. They will develop new techniques to measure magnetic and microwave fields, optical and non-contact sensors and survey methods as well as high accuracy mechanics, nano-positioning and vibration sensors

Industrialization Study of the Accelerating Structures for a 380 GeV Compact Linear Collider

The LHC at CERN will continue its operation for approximately 20 years. In parallel, diverse studies are conducted for the design of a future large-scale accelerator. One of the options is the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) who aims to provide a very high accelerating gradient (100 MV/m) achieved by using normal conducting radiofrequency (RF) cavities operating in the X-band range (12 GHz). Each accelerating structure is a challenging component involving ultra-precise machining and diffusion bonding techniques. The first stage of CLIC operates at a collision energy of 380 GeV with an accelerator length of 11 km, consisting of 21630 accelerating structures. Even though the prototypes have shown a mature and ready to build concept, the present number of qualified suppliers is limited. Therefore, an industrialization study was done through a technical survey with hi-tech companies. The aim is to evaluate current capabilities, to ensure the necessary manufacturing yield, schedule, and cost for mass production. This paper presents the results of the industrialization study for 12 GHz accelerating structures for CLIC 380 GeV, highlighting the principal challenges towards mass production.publishedVersionNon peer reviewe

The Southern Hemisphere’s First X-Band Radio-Frequency Test Facility at the University of Melbourne

The first Southern Hemisphere X-band Laboratory for Accelerators and Beams (X-LAB) is under construction at the University of Melbourne, and it will operate CERN X-band test stand containing two 12GHz 6MW klystron amplifiers. By power combination through hybrid couplers and the use of pulse compressors, up to 50 MW of peak power can be sent to any of 2 test slots at pulse repetition rates up to 400 Hz. The test stand is dedicated to RF conditioning and testing CLIC’s high gradient accelerating structures beyond 100 MV/m. It will also form the basis for developing a compact accelerator for medical applications, such as radiotherapy and compact light sources. Australian researchers working as part of a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, international universities, national industries, the Australian Synchrotron -ANSTO, Canadian Light Source and the CERN believe that creating a laboratory for novel accelerator research in Australia could drive technological and medical innovation