Accelerator Operations
To keep the two-mile accelerator running, accelerator operators
must constantly monitor all aspects it.
The main control room at SLAC contains video and computer monitors
that display information from many sources.
Lets look at just a few of the challenges accelerator operators
face.
- Temperature changes
cause the metal accelerator
structure to expand or contract. This changes
the frequency of the
microwave resonance
of the structure. Hence the accelerator structure
must be kept at a steady temperature, throughout
it's length. The cooling system must be monitored
to ensure all parts are working.
- High vacuum must
be maintained throughout the entire klystron,
waveguide, and accelerating structure. Any tiny
vacuum leak will interfere with accelerator
function. The entire system (over three miles
of pipes, some inches in diameter) pumped out
to 1/100,000,000,000 of atmospheric pressure.
- The timing of the phase of each
klystron must be
correct, so that the entire two-mile structure,
fed by one klystron every 40 ft, carries a traveling
wave with no phase mismatches.
- Accelerator operators must also monitor
the beam at many points along the accelerator.
They use a variety of devices, such as
strip beam position monitors
and beam spot displays.
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Some systems can be controlled remotely by computers
in the Main Control Room. |
