Data base for Interconnect welds

The interconnect work for the LHC equipment involves a large amount of data and files generated by the machines and the tooling. Different kinds of technologies for different kinds of interconnections result in different data, file types and file formats. This data should normally be stored in the MTF, file by file. This was too time consuming and error prone. In order to free time for quality control to improve the correct handling of the data files and information a data-base system was developed to organize and handle as automatically as possible dataflow and checks. This was the first goal set up. This is now in operation and is giving satisfaction in industry and at CERN. An important bonus of a data base system is that we can get an overview of the quality of the data and make possible feed back to the process. For the moment we cannot see clear correlation between data and non conformities which means that the tuning of the tooling is satisfactory. It is important to have efficient access to the data to check correlation with possible failure related to ageing due to interconnect work, during the LHC lifetime

Search for new physics with neutrinos at Radioactive Ion Beam facilities

We propose applications of Radioactive Ion Beam facilities to investigate physics beyond the Standard Model. In particular, we focus on the possible measurement of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering and on a search for sterile neutrinos, by means of a low energy beta-beam with a Lorentz boost factor $\gamma \approx 1$. In the considered setup the collected radioactive ions are sent inside a 4$\pi$ detector. For the first application we provide the number of events associated with neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering, when the detector is filled in with a noble liquid. For the sterile search we consider that the spherical detector is filled in with a liquid scintillator, and that the neutrino detection channel is inverse-beta decay. We provide the exclusion curves for the sterile neutrino mixing parameters, based upon the 3+1 formalism, depending upon the achievable ion intensity. Our results are obtained both from total rates, and including spectral information with binning in energy and in distance. The proposed experiment represents a possible alternative to clarify the current anomalies observed in neutrino experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. v2 - added 2 figure

Improving Magnet Aperture by Estimation of Errors due to the Influence of Temperature Gradients during Magnet Axis Measurements

The LHC magnet axes are measured from both ends of the magnet. These two redundant measurements are combined to get a reliable measurement result and to compensate calibration errors. When the two measurements are put together, we observe a "saw tooth" effect due to the fact that the two measurements are, in general, not identical. It can be seen that this effect is larger than expected from the accuracy of the measurements which motivated the study. Effects of temperature gradients in the cold bore tube of the magnet during measurements have been observed [6] and we show that this effect is the most probable explanation for our observations of the geometry measurements in the vertical plane. The aim of this work is to present an algorithmic approach to filter this effect and improve the measurement results. The effect is relatively small but for some magnets the displacement is up to -0.3 mm. The magnet positioning is controlled to 0.1 mm. Our analysis shows that by applying this correction we can insure the best positioning of the magnets (including the spool pieces) in the tunnel in the vertical plane

Integration of Mathematica in the Large Hadron Collider Database

The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the major project in particle physics in the world. The particle accelerator is a 27 km ring where many thousands of superconducting magnets keep protons on track. Results from complex measurements of, for example, the magnetic field and the geometry of the main bending and focusing magnets are stored in databases for analysis and quality control. The geometry of the 15 m long main bending magnet weighing almost 30 tons has to be controlled within tenths of mm. All measurements are stored in ORACLE data bases. They are organized in two types: raw and derived data. Raw data come from the measurement devices and derived data describe quality measures calculated from the raw measurements. For example, the transverse position of the beam tube center relative to the theoretical axis of the accelerator is measured along the magnet. This data is used to simulate improvements or to calculate quality criteria, used in the daily quality checks of all produced magnets. The positions of the corrector magnets housed inside the magnet assembly are measured in industry before the closing of the magnet cold mass; they have to be calculated from reference points on the outside of the cold mass one measured after delivery to CERN. The results from these calculations are re-injected into the data base for easy access. The calculations cannot be performed by the ORACLE query language. There comes the interest of Mathematica, which is easy to interface with the existing ORACLE and Java environment. Maintenance and improvements of calculations are comfortable due to Mathematica's explicit functional language

Feed-down effect in dipole alignment

The field of strong super conducting magnets contains substantial multipole errors. An upper limit of their value is specified on the reference closed orbit. When the dipole is installed in a real machine, its axis cannot be exactly on the reference orbit, and "feed-down multipoles" are introduced. This paper describes an analytical approach to the alignment specification associated with this effect with an example from the LHC at CERN

Thermal and acoustic effects in CLIC beam absorbers

We study thermal and acoustic effects in the beam absorbers of CLIC. While solid dumps and water at ordinary temperature must be ruled out, we propose to make a dump of water working at 4 degrees centigrades, where the thermal elongation vanishes. This solution might solve the problem of excessive acoustic emission in the dumps which would otherwise prevent the collision of the beams

Design of a neutrino source based on beta beams

"Beta Beams" produce collimated pure electron (anti-) neutrino beams by accelerating beta active ions to high energies and having them decay in a race track shaped storage ring of 7 km circumference, the Decay Ring. EUROnu Beta Beams are based on CERN infrastructures and existing machines. Using existing machines may be an advantage for the cost evaluation, however, this choice is also constraining the Beta Beams. The isotope pair of choice for the Beta Beam is 6He and 18Ne. However before the EUROnu studies one of the needed isotopes, 18Ne, could not be produced in rates that satisfy the needs for physics reach of the Beta Beam. Therefore, studies of alternative beta emitters, 8Li and 8B, with properties interesting for a Beta Beam have been proposed and have been studied within EUROnu. These alternative isotopes could be produced by using a small storage ring, in which the beam traverses a target, creating the 8Li and 8B isotopes. This Production Ring, the injection Linac and the target system have been evaluated. Measurements of the cross-section of the reactions to produce the Beta Beam isotopes show interesting results. A device to collect the produced isotopes from the target has been developed and tested. However, the obtained rates of the 8Li and 8B, using the Production Ring for production of 8Li and 8B, is not yet, according to simulations, giving the rates of isotopes that would be needed. Therefore, a new method of producing the 18Ne isotope has been developed and tested giving good production rates. The baseline presented for the Beta Beam is therefore now to use the 6He and 18Ne isotopes for neutrino production. A 60 GHz ECRIS prototype, the first in the world, was developed and tested with contributions from EUROnu. The Beta Beam has to take into account the modifications of the injectors planned in view of LHC-upgrades. The Decay Ring lattices for the 8Li and 8B have been developed, the lattice for 6He and 18Ne has been optimized also to ensure the high intensity ion beam stability