We propose and demonstrate a time-resolved, two-dimensional temperature monitoring technique for nanocrystalline diamond stripper foils exposed to high-intensity hydrogen ion (H-) beams at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accumulator ring which is independent of foil emissivity. The technique utilizes a two-color imaging pyrometer in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral band to measure thermal radiation from stripper foils located 40 meters away from the measurement site. This work presents a unique optical design, optical calibration of the system using a high-temperature blackbody source, preliminary temperature measurement results from two stripper foils (new and used) under various H‒ production beam conditions with average powers up to 1.7 MW and energy of 1.0 GeV. This technique can be utilized to understand the thermal behavior of charge strippers under high-intensity particle beams, providing crucial feedback to operations to control foil temperature and ensure foil lifetime.

The novel Coupling-Loss-Induced-Quench (CLIQ) concept will be part of the quench protection system of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) Inner Triplet superconducting magnets at CERN. Several units of two distinct CLIQ prototype variants were produced to validate the CLIQ novel protection concept and define the system parameters for the required performance. Subsequently, these units were further enhanced by introducing additional redundancy, advanced monitoring systems, and improved safety features. These improvements culminated in the development of the third and final version. This paper provides insights into the evolution from prototypes to the final version to be installed in the machine, shedding light on the outcomes of comprehensive safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests, coupled with extensive operational assessments.

The Quench Heater Discharge Power Supplies (HDS) are magnet protection devices installed in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that, upon detection of a magnet quench, release energy into the copper-plated stainless-steel strip heaters, inducing a resistive transition all along the superconducting coils. Such a distributed internal heating ensures an even energy dissipation across the entire volume, preventing local overheating and magnet damage. Over 6000 HDS units have been operational in the LHC tunnel since 2007. The new HDS design for protection of the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) Inner Triplet magnets, to be installed in the Long Shutdown starting in 2026, calls for a more advanced design with up-to-date components resulting in a higher reliability of the HDS units. Several HDS prototypes were produced at CERN, eventually culminating in the development of the HL-LHC HDS version to be installed in the accelerator. This paper describes the design of the upgraded HDS units and the comprehensive safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests, coupled with extensive operational tests, including irradiation tests, that have been conducted.

A new Machine Protection System (MPS) and the Beam Position Limits Detector (BPLD) system are being developed for APS Upgrade (APS-U) accelerator storage ring. The MPS/BPLD system consists of one main MPS and 20 local MPS/BPLD controllers distributed around the ring, each local controller is located on every odd double sector. Each LMPS handles one double sector. Each double sector can be equipped up to seven Libera BPM electronics units. Each Libera unit processes up to four BPMs at Turn-by-Turn (TbT) rate. The Beam Position Limits Detector (BPLD) provides two types of protections: BPLD-ID and BPLD-BM for insertion device (ID) front-end (FE) and bending magnet (BM) incident radiation protection respectively. We select bumps using orbit feedback in a machine simulation to test the position limits of the system consistent with accelerator physics requirements for stable beam. This paper introduces the high level software implementation of APS-U BPLD-ID and BPLD-BM validation.

LightHouse was a project utilizing a 3 MW electron linac to produce medical isotopes, requiring a very fast and reliable machine protection system to protect key accelerator components. RI Research Instruments GmbH designed the linac and conducted the risk analysis. This led to specifications to which Cosylab engineered a machine protection system (MPS). The MPS exhibits rapid responsiveness, with short reaction times on the order of 350 nanoseconds, while actively monitoring and reacting to approximately 700 inputs from crucial accelerator components. To enhance reliability and upgradeability, an FPGA solution based on the National Instruments platform was implemented. Additionally, the project envisions the integration of high availability storage and tertiary subsystems, with the overarching goal of achieving elevated uptime and ensuring the trustworthiness of all device elements.

A prototype Beam Gas Curtain (BGC) monitor was installed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN to provide 2D images of the transverse beam profile during the ongoing Run 3 (2022 to date) and in view of the High Luminosity LHC upgrade (HL-LHC). By design, the BGC operation generates collisions between the beam particles and an injected gas jet proportionally to the beam intensity and the gas density, possibly causing radiation-induced issues to the downstream LHC equipment. In this work, the radiation showers from the BGC are characterized using measured data from different LHC radiation monitors during the Run 3 BGC operation, along with Monte Carlo simulations with the FLUKA code. Finally, predictions of the expected radiation showers during the operation of the BGC in the HL-LHC era are discussed.

The Beam Interlock System (BIS) is the backbone of the machine protection system throughout the accelerator complex at CERN, from LINAC4 to the LHC. After 15 years of flawless operation, a new version of the BIS is currently being produced and will be installed in the LHC, SPS and North Area during CERN’s Long Shutdown 3, planned to start in 2026. Overall, more than 3,000 Printed Circuit Boards will be produced and assembled outside CERN. In addition, more than 120,000 lines of firmware and supporting scripts are written to implement the critical and monitoring functionalities of the BIS. Both hardware and firmware need to be thoroughly tested before installation and operation to guarantee the high levels of reliability and availability required by the operation of the accelerators. In this paper we present the testing methodology including the development of dedicated testbeds for hardware validation, the use of comprehensive simulation and continuous integration for firmware development, and the implementation of automated tests for system-level functional validation.

The Safe Machine Parameter (SMP) system is an electronic hardware-based system which has been an integral part of the LHC’s machine protection strategy since it started operation. Its primary objective is to provide several parameters and interlock signals to critical machine protection users across the LHC and SPS accelerators, whilst prioritizing high reliability and availability. After almost two decades of operation, there is a need to upgrade the SMP hardware electronics. In the High Luminosity LHC era the requirements of connected systems have changed, leading to new system functions and operational requirements which must be integrated into the new design. This paper details the electronic design considerations of developing the second-generation SMP. The general distribution of parameters relies on the CERN WhiteRabbit timing network renovation, for which dedicated high-precision clock components were selected and tested on a prototype board. Details of the hardware design and validation are discussed, along with the comprehensive upgrades aimed at delivering an SMP system with expanded monitoring and diagnostic features.

The folded Linear Accelerator (linac) at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) presents many challenges to effectively utilizing beam loss monitors (BLMs) for machine protection. Dozens of ion chambers and neutron detectors are installed at various locations in the linac tunnel to monitor radiation from beam losses. Each device must be configured with thresholds to meet machine protection requirements for an array of beam destinations, ion species, beam energies, beam power, and response times. This presents an extremely large configuration space with numerous use-cases and beam modes to account for. We present a largely automated tool to effectively manage BLM thresholds that requires minimal input from operators.

In FRIB we use chopper in the low energy beam line for beam power controls. As appropriate functioning of chopper is critical for both beam operation and machine protection, an FPGA-based chopper monitoring system was developed to monitor its operation for fixed duty cycle operation and has been in use to support operation. The chopper monitor shuts off beam promptly at detection of a deviation of duty cycle outside tolerance. For future higher beam power operation, automatic beam power ramp modes will be required where beam duty factor is dynamically ramped up following a predetermined sequence. Recently FPGA prototype is developed to enhance the chopper monitor to accommodate one of such dynamic modes, cold start beam mode. It is a design challenge to integrate all the beam modes in one FPGA while synchronizing with external timing system pulse generator and recording the process data and failure information. Detailed FPGA design for this enhancement of chopper monitor will be discussed in this paper, followed by the test result of integrated system of chopper monitor, global timing system pulse generator, high voltage switch of chopper control and EPICS control software.

The SIS100 heavy ion synchrotron is the central machine of the FAIR (Facility for Antiprotons and Ions Research) project at GSI. It presents complex challenges due to its features handling high-intensity ion beams from protons up to uranium. It demands sensitive beam diagnostics with robust Machine Protection Systems (MPS). Due to anticipated extreme conditions, one safety subsystem includes LHC-type Beam-Loss Monitors (BLMs). These BLMs play a critical role in beam diagnostics and machine safety, strengthening protection measures by enhancing monitoring capabilities for severe beam losses and triggering safe beam dump requests. These BLMs are gas chamber detectors which aim to prevent beam-induced quenching superconducting magnets and protect other machine components from damage. This document outlines a conceptual study of a Machine Protection System, integrating 168 LHC-type BLMs to safeguard the SIS100 synchrotron. The integration involves upgrading the readout electronic chain and adopting FPGA-based logic firmware to handle intricate rate counting requirements over specified time windows. Additionally, hardware sanity checks are carried out to prevent non-conformities and ensure reliability alongside beam loss rate counting. Overall, the focus on beam loss monitoring for the SIS100 within the FAIR project underscores the necessity for sophisticated diagnostic tools and protective measures to ensure the safe and efficient operation of this state-of-the-art synchrotron.

The J-PARC MR synchrotron began high repetition operation with shortened accelerator cycles in 2022. So far, FX has been supplying a 2x10e+14 proton per pulse (ppp) beam to the Neutrino Experimental Facility with a repetition rate of 1.36 seconds, and SX has been supplying a 0.6x10e+14 ppp beam to the Hadron Experimental Facility with a 5.20 seconds repetition. The amount of heat per accelerated proton beam pulse exceeds 1 MJ, and it is an important issue to avoid damage to the equipment caused by high-intense beam due to abnormalities during beam acceleration. Since the MR is operated in different extraction modes, i.e. FX and SX, the countermeasures are also different, and the adequate protection system also needs to be considered, respectively. Therefore, the countermeasures have been put in place, including a high-speed beam abort system and/or a fast sequential interlock between devices. This report summarizes the systems to protect equipment from abnormalities that unexpectedly occur during high-intensity proton beam acceleration.

In the context of LATINO (Laboratory in Advanced Technologies for INnOvation) and Rome Technopole Projects founded by Regione Lazio and NextGenerationEu, and directly involved in the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_Lab flagship project, a testing facility for X-band (TEX) has been established at the Frascati National Laboratories of INFN. TEX is dedicated to the examination of radiofrequency X/C-band, aiming to develop and test the technologies and systems of a particle accelerator operating under such conditions. Given the complex nature of such a system and the advancement of technology to the forefront of the state of the art, it is imperative to have an advanced Machine Protection System (MPS) characterized by high reliability, availability, and safety, in accordance with IEC-61508 standards. Currently in development is a prototype MPS designed to autonomously initiate procedures to control operations and avert anomalies. An EPICS supervisor oversees the management of all devices and monitoring connected subsystems. Additionally, a real-time interlock system, based on distributed FPGA, is employed to swiftly respond to vacuum and RF systems during the next RF pulse.

The Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility (DARHT) uses a spinning wheel debris blocker as a crucial machine protection system to prevent target debris from the electron to X-ray conversion process from traveling upstream and damaging the accelerator. The spinning wheel in use on DARHT Axis-I consists of two spinning disks normal to the beamline, each with an open slit that crosses the beamline at frequencies of 50 Hz and 40 Hz, creating an opening at a beat frequency of 8 Hz allowing the electron beam to pass through and shut behind it. In this poster, we present steps taken to improve the reliability and performance of the spinning wheel, which include replacing legacy and custom diagnostic components with off-the-shelf hardware. We also present the challenges and solutions in testing and deploying these upgrades without disrupting operation of the accelerator.

We present a method for coupling particle dynamics, particle-matter interaction, and hydrodynamics codes to model the effects of high-intensity electron beams in Fourth Generation Storage Rings for the purpose of machine protection. The coupled codes determine if high-energy-density conditions (>100 J/mm^3) are present in beam-intercepting components. Elegant is used to simulate the dynamics of a whole-beam abort by muting the high-power cavity RF. Within the APS-U, the impacting beam begins interacting with a horizontal collimator, at which point elegant is interrupted and the beam impact process is modeled using MARS and FLASH. MARS simulates the interaction of the beam with the collimator, passes the energy density to FLASH, and returns the transmitted particle distribution to elegant. FLASH uses the energy deposition to determine the density of the collimator material. The surviving beam is propagated again through the APS-U lattice and the process is repeated until the beam is fully lost. The input MARS geometry is updated each step to reflect the changing material properties. The coupled codes also examine the effects of synchrotron radiation within the vacuum beam chambers.