The EnMAP imaging spectroscopy mission towards operations

EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) is a high-resolution imaging spectroscopy remote sensing mission that was successfully launched on April 1st, 2022. Equipped with a prism-based dual-spectrometer, EnMAP performs observations in the spectral range between 418.2nm and 2445.5nm with 224 bands and a high radiometric and spectral accuracy and stability. EnMAP products, with a ground instantaneous field-of-view of 30m×30m at a swath width of 30km, allow for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of surface variables from frequently and consistently acquired observations on a global scale. This article presents the EnMAP mission and details the activities and results of the Launch and Early Orbit and Commissioning Phases until November 1st, 2022. The mission capabilities and expected performances for the operational Routine Phase are provided for existing and future EnMAP users

The EnMAP imaging spectroscopy mission towards operations

EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) is a high-resolution imaging spectroscopy remote sensing mission that was successfully launched on April 1st, 2022. Equipped with a prism-based dual-spectrometer, EnMAP performs observations in the spectral range between 418.2 nm and 2445.5 nm with 224 bands and a high radiometric and spectral accuracy and stability. EnMAP products, with a ground instantaneous field-of-view of 30 m x 30 m at a swath width of 30 km, allow for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of surface variables from frequently and consistently acquired observations on a global scale. This article presents the EnMAP mission and details the activities and results of the Launch and Early Orbit and Commissioning Phases until November 1st, 2022. The mission capabilities and expected performances for the operational Routine Phase are provided for existing and future EnMAP users

Ion Source Physics and Technology (1/2)

This series of lectures starts with an introduction in some aspects of atomic and plasma physics as base for the ion source physics. The main part covers aspects of ion source physics, technology and operation. Several source types are presented. Some information on infrastructure and supporting services (as high voltage, cooling, microwaves etc) are given to better understand the source environment. The last part on engineering aims to show that, in the field of ion sources, many different technologies are combined in a quite small environment, which is challenging and interesting at the same time

Thermal Analysis of the Linac3 GTS-LHC ECR Ion Source

The Linac3 ion source produces lead beams by the vaporization of solid samples inside internal ovens. The geometry, materials and surface state of the oven elements are critical parameters influencing the temperature distribution in the environment, and thus the performance of the source. A finite element approach is proposed to evaluate the thermal response of the system at increasing heating powers. Comparisons between the simulations results and experimental measurements are given in order to validate the numerical model. Based on the obtained results, improvements to the existing setup are suggested

Stripper foil investigations at Linac3

This report contains a summary of the investigations performed on the carbon stripper foils at Linac3 during the period 2016 to 2018. The characteristics of both amorphous carbon (aC) and diamond-like carbon (DLC) foils have been examined. Charge state distributions and separated currents of Pb and Xe beams have been measured and the findings are compared with empirical formulae. Simulations of the energy loss and energy spread in the foils have been compared to measurements, as well as been put in relation to the energy spread out of the accelerating cavities. Photos of unused and ion-bombarded foils are presented. In addition, the report presents a summary of results and general information stemming from earlier studies, including the commissioning period. Finally, guidelines for future foil characterization is given

The 2017 Xe run at CERN Linac3: measurements and beam dynamics simulations

At CERN quark-gluon plasma and fixed target ion experiments are performed thanks to the Heavy-ion Facility, composed by different accelerators. The starting point is CERN Linac3, which delivers 4.2 MeV/u ion beams to the Low Energy Ion Ring (LEIR). In 2017 Linac3 accelerated Xe instead of the most usual Pb. Machine development (MD) time was allocated to adapt the accelerator to the new ion species. This article summarizes the measurements performed during the MD time allocated to characterize the line from the source to the filtering section. A parallel effort was devoted to match those measurements to the beam dynamics simulations, and the second part of the article highlights the results achieved in this regard. Thanks to the improved understanding of the machine critical areas, a list of possible improvements is proposed at the end.At CERN, large hadron collider heavy ion and super proton synchrotron fixed target experiments are performed thanks to the Heavy-ion Facility, composed of different accelerators. The starting point is Linac3, which delivers 4.2 MeV/u ion beams to the low energy ion ring. In 2017, Linac3 accelerated Xe instead of the most usual Pb. This article summarizes the measurements performed during the machine development time allocated to characterize the line from the source to the filtering section. A parallel effort was devoted to matching those measurements to the beam dynamics simulations, and the second part of the article highlights the results achieved in this regard. Thanks to the improved understanding of the machine critical areas, a list of possible improvements is proposed at the end

Conceptual design study for a dedicated low-energy diagnostics line at Linac3

A low-energy diagnostics upgrade of Linac3 has been studied in the last couple of years to allow a more precise characterization of the beam properties at extraction from the source, currently impeded by a complete lack of measuring devices in the first ~6 m of the accelerator layout. Due to space tightness constraints, the solution explored consists of a dedicated beam diagnostics line, branching off the main lattice through a 90o spectrometer magnet. Through a choice of pulse-to-pulse functionality, this solution would also allow permanent logging in operation and the implementation of feedback loops that could help achieve better source performance stability. This note details the design and beam dynamics performance of this line, and it provides a preliminary assessment on feasibility and costing

Review of LEIR operation in 2018

During run 2 (2015-2018) the LEIR machine experienced several important improvements in terms of extracted intensity, driven by the LHC Injectors Upgrade (LIU) project requirements. In 2018 the machine not only gave another step forward in extracted intensity, but also demonstrated that it could deliver the LIU target intensity in a reproducible and reliable way. The main steps that allowed the high performance reach of the NOMINAL beam and improvements to the machine stability are detailed in this paper. This work is also intended to be a reference for the restart after the Long Shutdown 2

Ions for LHC: Beam Physics and Engineering Challenges

The first phase of the heavy ion physics program at the LHC aims to provide lead-lead collisions at energies of 5.5 TeV per colliding nucleon pair and ion-ion luminosity of 1027 cm-2s-1. The transformation of CERN’s ion injector complex (Linac3-LEIR-PS-SPS) presents a number of beam physics and engineering challenges, which are described in this paper. In the LHC itself, there are fundamental performance limitations due to various beam loss mechanisms. To study these without risk of damage there will be an initial period of operation with a reduced number of nominal intensity bunches. While reducing the work required to commission the LHC with ions in 2008, this will still enable early physics discoveries

Gamma Factory for CERN initiative - progress report

International audienceThe Gamma Factory (GF) initiative proposes to use partially stripped ion (PSI) beams as drivers of a new type of high-intensity and high-energy (0.1–400 MeV) photon source. As part of the ongoing Physics Beyond Collider studies, initial beam tests were carried out in 2017 and 2018 at the SPS and LHC with partially stripped xenon and lead beams. This contribution discusses the results of these tests and the preparations for the next GF R&D step: the proof-of-principle experiment at the SPS to study interaction of PSI beams with the laser ligh