Preface
Particle accelerators have played a critical role in the history of scientific discovery. They provide a controlled means to probe the atomic and sub-atomic
world by boosting charged particles to high energies and colliding them with
a fixed target or another beam of charge particles. Within the last 90 years,
accelerators with ever higher energy reach were built, enabling the discoveries
of a series of fundamental particles and leading to the establishment of the
Standard Model. Accelerator development in the energy frontier culminated
in recent years, with the completion of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and
the discovery of the Higgs boson.
On a different front, accelerators have been used to generate intense Xrays for the studies of atomic and molecular structures or processes in ordinary
matter. In these accelerators, which are called light sources, high energy electron beams, under the forces of strong magnetic fields, emit highly directional,
high flux photon beams. Research conducted at light source facilities is critical
to solving many of the challenges that the human society faces today in, for
example, the environment, energy, and medicine.
High energy particle accelerators in high energy physics or light source
applications are mostly synchrotrons or linacs. Both synchrotrons and linacs
are complex and delicate machines. The geometric footprint of a synchrotron
or a linac can vary from meters to kilometers, while the required precision of
beam control is typically sub-micron. A machine is often composed of hundreds or thousands of components, such as magnets, RF cavities, vacuum
pumps, kickers, and diagnostic pick-ups, all of which impact the beam motion, either actively or passively. An accelerator works properly only when all
of its components work precisely and cooperatively.
While accelerators are always built according to well studied design models, it is unrealistic to expect a new accelerator to realize the design performance when it is first turned on. During the commissioning period, adjustments of the machine setting have to be made to achieve the desired high
performance. During the lifetime of an accelerator, when the machine configuration is intentionally modified, or if the environment conditions change, the
machine setting also has to be adjusted accordingly.
The machine setting adjustments are necessary because the actual accelerator is different from the design model in many ways. Manufacturing errors,
calibration errors, alignment errors, power supply fluctuation, etc., affect every component of the machine. Human errors and component malfunctions
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Particle accelerators have played a critical role in the history of scientific discovery. They provide a controlled means to probe the atomic and sub-atomic
world by boosting charged particles to high energies and colliding them with
a fixed target or another beam of charge particles. Within the last 90 years,
accelerators with ever higher energy reach were built, enabling the discoveries
of a series of fundamental particles and leading to the establishment of the
Standard Model. Accelerator development in the energy frontier culminated
in recent years, with the completion of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and
the discovery of the Higgs boson.
On a different front, accelerators have been used to generate intense Xrays for the studies of atomic and molecular structures or processes in ordinary
matter. In these accelerators, which are called light sources, high energy electron beams, under the forces of strong magnetic fields, emit highly directional,
high flux photon beams. Research conducted at light source facilities is critical
to solving many of the challenges that the human society faces today in, for
example, the environment, energy, and medicine.
High energy particle accelerators in high energy physics or light source
applications are mostly synchrotrons or linacs. Both synchrotrons and linacs
are complex and delicate machines. The geometric footprint of a synchrotron
or a linac can vary from meters to kilometers, while the required precision of
beam control is typically sub-micron. A machine is often composed of hundreds or thousands of components, such as magnets, RF cavities, vacuum
pumps, kickers, and diagnostic pick-ups, all of which impact the beam motion, either actively or passively. An accelerator works properly only when all
of its components work precisely and cooperatively.
While accelerators are always built according to well studied design models, it is unrealistic to expect a new accelerator to realize the design performance when it is first turned on. During the commissioning period, adjustments of the machine setting have to be made to achieve the desired high
performance. During the lifetime of an accelerator, when the machine configuration is intentionally modified, or if the environment conditions change, the
machine setting also has to be adjusted accordingly.
The machine setting adjustments are necessary because the actual accelerator is different from the design model in many ways. Manufacturing errors,
calibration errors, alignment errors, power supply fluctuation, etc., affect every component of the machine. Human errors and component malfunctions
xi