TOP-IMPLART is a pulsed RF proton linear accelerator in operation at the ENEA Frascati Research Center originally built as a technological demonstrator for a full-linear solution to protontherapy, it is currently evolving towards a facility available for research and industrial users in different fields, ranging from biomedical to aerospace applications. It consists of a commercial AccSys PL7 model 425 MHz injector followed by eight SCDTL accelerating modules operating at 3 GHz. Proton beams in the range 1-6 MeV are available from a vertical delivery line placed at the exit of the injector, and at 63 MeV or 71 MeV (intermediate and lower energies are achieved by degraders) from a horizontal delivery line at the exit of the accelerator, where a pulse current variable up to 20 µA is provided in pulses 2.5 µs long at a typical repetition rate of 25 Hz. Our contribution presents the first experimental results from the commissioning of the high-energy line. It is a multi-purpose in-house designed line featuring a magnetic scanning system and a set of instrumentation, diagnostics, and target positioning frames placed on motorized platforms allowing for customizable irradiation setups.

The KEK e⁺/e⁻ Linac supplies electron beams to SuperKEKB HER, PF, and PF-AR, and positron beams to SuperKEKB LER. We utilize machine learning for both online beam tuning and offline data analysis. Machine learning based on Bayesian optimization has been employed to improve and maintain beam quality, contributing to the enhancement and stabilization of beam injection efficiency into SuperKEKB HER and LER. In this report, we present monitors and beam tuning methods that incorporate machine learning. Identifying parameters that affect beam quality and stability is important, but finding them among the vast number of parameters is not easy. In machine learning-based beam tuning, selecting the appropriate parameters for tuning is crucial, and another important issue is identifying factors that lead to beam instability. To address this, we have applied explainable AI techniques to analyze archived data and attempted to extract parameters that have a significant impact on the beam. This report also covers our data archiving system and analysis efforts using explainable AI.

The Diamond-II upgrade will enhance the performance of the Diamond Light Source synchrotron, including improved beam stability by the Fast Orbit Feedback system. Achieving the targeted closed-loop bandwidth of 1 kHz necessitates an open-loop actuator bandwidth of approximately 10 kHz, which presents significant design challenges for the corrector magnet vacuum vessel. Additionally, subsystems such as the corrector magnet power supplies and Beam Position Monitors, must comply with a stringent closed-loop latency of less than 100 microseconds. Initially, a 1 millimetre stainless steel vessel was deemed viable; however, experimental findings indicated that the combination of stainless steel and neighbouring copper vessels resulted in a decrease in both integrated magnetic field strength and system bandwidth. This prompted a reassessment of the material selection for the fast corrector vessels to optimise orbit feedback performance. This paper investigates these challenges, analyses experimental data, and explores solutions to achieve the necessary bandwidth for the Diamond-II upgrade.

During CERN’s Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) in 2022, the Anti-Proton Decelerator (AD) target area underwent major renovations, including a significant upgrade to its beam imaging system. The previous tube-based camera, used in a high-radiation environment, had limitations in sensitivity and resolution for continuous measurements. The upgraded design uses an innovative in-air light-emitting screen mechanically coupled to the AD target, monitored by a digital camera through a 20-meter optical line from a radiation-safe zone. This setup improves accessibility during beam operation and enhances measurement capabilities. Over two years of operation, several crucial modifications were made. A key change was transitioning from a scintillation material screen to an Optical Transition Radiation (OTR) screen, though this created new challenges with background interference. To address temperature-dependent calibration variations, an automated calibration mechanism was developed, utilizing advanced image analysis algorithms for real-time adjustments. This paper discusses these developments, challenges, solutions, and future optimization opportunities for the AD facility’s evolving experimental needs.

The beam halo can contribute to beam losses in accelerators and is very difficult to measure. With an increase in beam intensity following the PIP-II upgrade at Fermilab, the beam losses are expected to be higher with some coming from beam halo. Therefore, it is important to measure the sources of beam halo to minimize the beam losses. A modified Halo Monitor developed by J-PARC will be installed in Fermilab MI-8 transfer line to measure the beam halo. In this paper, an update on the beam profile monitor fabrication is covered. The updates include the location selection for the Halo Monitor in the MI-8 transfer line, shielding options for instrumentation, initial testing of equipment, and ray tracing simulations for the Offner optics and the targets used in the monitor.

The Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI) in Thailand aims to operate a 6 MeV electron linear accelerator for irradiation, supporting various agricultural and industrial applications. This study presents a method for measuring electron beam energy using the existing dipole magnet in the beamline, originally designed for scanning X-rays on samples through a scan horn. An aluminum sheet coated with terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd₂O₂S) was used as a scintillation screen for X-ray illumination and placed downstream of the scan horn. X-ray scintillator images were captured with a CCD camera. By analyzing shifts in the X-ray image centroid as the dipole magnet current varied, we were able to determine the electron beam energy. The experimental setup, simulations, and measurement results are presented and discussed.

Transverse beam diagnostics with standard imaging techniques represent a challenge for next-generation accelerators and colliders due to the extremely small beam sizes, and X-ray interferometry offers an interesting method to overcome this challenge. In this regard, the X-ray Heterodyne Near Field Speckles (X-HNFS) technique has successfully been used to resolve few-micrometer beam sizes and at the same time attain a full 2D beam reconstruction. The method relies on diffracting the emitted X-ray radiation off a water suspension of spherical nanoparticles, which however pose several limitations for the full exploitation of the technique during normal operations. In this contribution we report on recent advances in the development of solid targets based on nanostructured materials with characteristics compatible with accelerator requirements. We present preliminary numerical and experimental results on the target design, prototyping and testing. Emphasis is given to the application as a transverse beam size monitor in the framework of the Feasibility Study of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) at CERN.

AA new harp has been installed in the Ring To Target Beam line (RTBT) section of Spallation Neutron Source. The harp is made of two planes with 32 titanium 50 micron wide wires each plane. The narrow, low-Z wires versus the 100-micron tungsten wires of the original harp, are to minimize the beam scattering. This harp will be both a backup and a complement to the existing harp further downstream. The newly created data-acquisition system is also suitable to replace the existing’s harp data-acquisition system, now over 20 years old. We show the use of a cRIO platform as a cost-effective way to process many channels and sample the beam profile at the full 60 Hz beam repetition rate. We also describe the performance of the titanium wires. A passive analog board is used to lengthen the signals to allow sampling at <= 10kS/s/ch. The data is acquired by the FPGA, passed on to the real-time OS, LabVIEW RT, and through the SNS EPICS Channel Access server presented to the control room.

EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB is a FEL user-facility currently under construction at INFN-LNF in the framework of the EuPRAXIA collaboration. The electron beam will be accelerated to 1 GeV by an X-band RF linac followed by a plasma wakefield acceleration stage. This high-brightness linac requires diagnostic tools able to measure the beam parameters with high accuracy and resolution. To monitor the beam energy and its spread, magnetic dipoles and quadrupoles will be installed along the linac, together with viewing screens and CCD cameras. Macroparticle beam dynamics simulations were performed to determine the optimal energy measurement setup in terms of accuracy and resolution. Similar diagnostics evaluations were carried out for the spectrometer installed at the 100 MeV RF linac of the beam facility SSRIP (IFIN-HH, Romania), whose commissioning planned for 2026 will be performed by INFN-LNF in collaboration with IFIN-HH. Optics measurements were performed to characterize the resolution and magnification of the optical system foreseen to be used at EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB and SSRIP for beam energy monitoring.

In modern low-emittance electron storage rings, precise beam orbit control is crucial to ensure the beam passes through the magnetic center of each high-gradient multipole magnet, with an accuracy of 10 μm or even better. Accurate alignment of a BPM with the center of the neighboring magnet is imperative, a critical requirement for SPring-8-II. With a total of 340 BPMs, efficient beam commissioning of SPring-8-II necessitates a fast beam-based alignment (BBA) method. To assess the feasibility of this method, we conducted a fast BBA experiment at the current SPring-8 storage ring utilizing new BPM readout electronics based on MicroTCA.4, enabling a data acquisition rate at 10 kHz. We varied the strength of a quadrupole magnet adjacent to a BPM head connected to the new fast readout. We scanned the electron beam across the quadrupole center by adjusting a steering dipole magnet. The BPM offset from the quadrupole center was then determined by analyzing data from all BPMs connected to the fast readout. This contribution will detail the proposed fast BBA procedure for SPring-8-II and present the results obtained from the feasibility test at the existing SPring-8 storage ring.

As part of the ongoing ALBA II upgrade, which aims to significantly enhance the performance of the ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, a new design for button Beam Position Monitors (BPMs) is under investigation. In this contribution, we present the results of a characterization study conducted on button prototypes supplied by two different manufacturers. Furthermore, we introduce the preliminary design of an alternative button BPM intended for direct welding to the copper vacuum chamber of the upgraded machine.

In close proximity to the spallation neutron source of the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN, diamond detectors are installed to measure the fast neutron beam. The detectors are located 2.3 m from the center of the spallation target at 100° with respect to the impinging proton beam. The 20 GeV/c proton beam from CERNs Proton Synchrotron (PS) hits the Pb-spallation target with a nominal intensity of 8.5e12 protons/bunch, a proton bunch length of 16 ns FWHM and a maximum repetition rate of 0.8 Hz. The proton beam intensity is monitored with a beam current transformer (BCT) installed in the PS extraction line to n_TOF. The proton beam position is measured using a SEM grid 2 m before the spallation target. A linear correlation between the horizontal proton beam impact position on the Pb-target and the measured dose of the secondary radiation at the measurement station for each pulse is observed. While the proton beam impact position varies by 12 mm, the normalised dose varies by 20%. The achievable precision of the proton beam position measurement using the diamond dosimeter and the linearity of the dose measurement for individual bunches is studied and will be presented.

The IFMIF-DONES facility located at Escúzar in Spain will consist of an accelerator delivering 125 mA of 40 MeV deuterons onto a Lithium target. At the last part of the accelerator, when the beam footprint is almost shaped, different beam diagnostics are considered. In order to protect the machine against changes of the beam and give a safe interlock, a novel RF pickup made of eight electrodes is designed. This RF pickup is designed with the objective to sense displacements of the beam centroid as changes of the beam profile. In this paper a preliminary study is presented based on an analytical and CST simulation approach. Both approaches, considering pencil and real beams from TraceWin simulations, are compared. Next, a sensitivity study of how different parameters affect the response is performed in CST simulations. This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium.