Minutes of the PS-SPS Users Meeting held on April 20th, 2023

News from the acting PS & SPS Physics Coordinator (D. Lazic)

PS Machine Report (Alex Lasheen)

• PS is now in full operation, good availability this week with main beam stop due to pre-injectors and beam stop for access in L4/PSB/PS
• TOF
  • Investigations on the bad shots intermittently triggering the SIS and stopping the beam. No clear indication on extraction elements, BI expert contacted.
  • Changed working point to improve vertical tune before extraction, reduced vertical beam size on SEM grids.
• EAST
  • Delivering spills to all EAST destinations including parasitic TOF.
  • Work started for a high intensity parasitic TOF.
• SFTPRO
  • Optimization at PS-SPS transfer (energy matching with SPS, trajectory correction done by reducing extraction bump by 1 mm and adjusting DFAs)
• HiRadMat/AWAKE
  • Setting up of an AWAKE like bunch for HiRadMat, present performance in emittance@FT: ~2.7 um (H), 2.2 um (V)

SPS Machine Report (Arthur Spierer)

• SFTPRO
  • Spill defined by beam line commissioning coordinator, 5e12 p/spill (single injection)
  • Foils irradiation when smoothly, offline analysis ongoing
  • Supercycles without NA timings are tripping NA power converters -> historical behaviour of converters
  • 100 Hz optimization will be running continuously next week
    • Waiting NA62 for feedback
  • Main stops due to SPS interlock system fault on Tuesday and investigation on ZS in the evening, long access on Wednesday until Thursday morning
    • Compressed air leak in Prevessin (SPS+NA) started at 13h50, noticed Wed. evening, not found in SPS tunnel; Thu. 9h BA80 : nothing, then at 11h20 access TCC8 -> blocking NA extraction
  • When is the second injection required? Need some time to setup, Spill deteriorated with LHC in the Supercycle
  • Let us know when we can ramp up intensity (25-30 units for T2 currently) and adjust sharing
• HiRadMat (Week 21 prevision)
  • Measured Eh = 2.66um Ev = 2.17um at the PSB, expected 2.5um from PS
  • Spot size adjusted by SPS optics on the fly (not possible to measure without wire scanners)
  • Requested bunch rotation will impact beam spot size (increased dp/p, dispersive optic)
• Next week: Start of NA Physics EHN1 + Beam Commissioning, SPS parallel MD on Wed.

Safety / Radiation Protection (Please Add Your Name Here)

n_TOF (M. Bacak)

Taking physics data in all experimental areas (EARs):

• EAR1: (n,n’) proof of princple setup; RF issue investigation in parallel/parasitic; neutron escape line used for detector tests (Timepix, Li-Glass)
• EAR2: 26Al(n,cp)
• NEAR: Irradiations for spectral/Maxwellian averaged cross-section measurements (usual longer stops on Wednesday due to cooldown for target zone for access)

Beam:

• Excellent average proton intensity.
• Since Tuesday, the beam sporadically (<1%) jumps from its nominal position on target to ±30 mm horizontal position. Can trigger our interlock.
• In addition, during these episodes of the jumping beam, the SEMgrid once in a while displays a saturated beam in horizontal and vertical.
• Both issues reported to PS Tuesday afternoon - investigating.

East Area Beam Status (N. Charitonidis)

T09 operation ongoing without issues. T10 running with beam since Friday, no issues. T11 ready for CLOUD.

East Area Users Tour de Table

T8: IRRAD / CHARM (F. Ravotti)

From Thu. 13th to Mon. 17th: dosimetric measurements in CHARM to characterise the facility for 2023 runs (access to move the rack with RADMONs installed), several shielding configurations plus a run with no target. Tue. 18th: continue irradiations in IRRAD access for further measurements in CHARM (close to BLM with RADMON + BATMON) and beam alignment and dosimetry checks on all IRRAD tables. Yesterday (Wed. 19th): first active user installation in CHARM (current transducers from SY-EPC), installation of additional passive samples in IRRAD (TE-MSC) and start of “regular” user run. Before starting, change XSECs gain from LOW to MID. Time for further beam steering, ongoing now (reduce the beamsize along IRRAD). Next access, Tomorrow (being organized, issue with the SY-EPC setup), Tuesday next week (probably not needed on Wednesday). IRRAD and CHARM specific user safety trainings also enforced as access requirement starting from next week.

T9: PAN (Daniil Sukhonos, UNIGE)

We have performed all mandatory measurements:

• 15 GeV/c positive hadrons runs with no magnets for position resolution and alignment studies.
• 0.1 - 2 GeV/c electrons/positrons runs with magnets installed for momentum resolution studies.

We are trying to set up the low momentum positive hadrons beam (1 GeV/c, 0.5 GeV/c) using threshold cherenkov detector signal for filtering out electrons, but for the moment we are struggling with our NIM crate…

We plan to continue testing new detectors and operation modes with Medipix in parasitic mode until next Wednesday.

T9 Incoming: MEDIPIX - Week 16 (Please Add Your Name Here)

T9 Incoming: LHCb ECAL - Week 17 (Matteo Salomoni)

Test of the new telescopic tracking system from EPFL (SciFi based).
Tasks:

• Asynchronous alignment of the tracking telescope with the rest of the LHCb ECAL test beam DAQ.
• Correlate coordinates between new tracking system (EPFL telescope) with the old one (DWCs).
• Calibration system tests and PMT gain equalization of the new LHCb ECAL module 0 (Upgrade 1b - LS3)

T10 Outgoing: ALICE ITS3 (Please Add Your Name Here)

T10: ALICE TOF (Please Add Your Name Here)

T11: CLOUD (Eva Sommer)

CLOUD is currently setting up. There are still some problems with the gas system. We hope to be able to start on the weekend or early next week.

AWAKE Status (Giovanni Zevi Della Porta)

Last week:
Prepared and executed first proton beam test with Discharge Plasma Source:

• Before p+: tested DPS and diagnostics using calibration trigger
• Detected protons on all diagnostics (after synchronization)
• Verified spatial alignment of DPS and new BTV with p+ beam

Thanks to SPS, vacuum, EPC, firefighters , access system for making this possible!

This week: Continue DPS commissioning, install additional diagnostics and BTV filters

North Area Beam Status

H2, H4, H6, and H8 Beams (N. Charitonidis)

Comissioning ongoing, configurations of the year being tested with positive results. New XCIO.X022450 in H2 operational. The electron beam quality in H6/H8 also looks much better compared with last years, but still working on it.

Other Beams P42, K12, and M2 (N. Charitonidis)

Good progress on the beam commissioning for P42 and K12. After extensive works and finding an issue with a vacuum chamber, the beam spot on T10 is now again ok with nominal optics. Commissioning will continue this and during next week with both P42 and K12 beams.

Beam commissioning in M2 progressing well. Steering of hadron and muon beams checked. Different hadron beam energies to be tested once the beam is back and CEDAR performance tests are planned for next week with the beam.

North Area Users Tour de Table

H2

H2 Incoming: CALICE ScW + AHCAL - Week 16 (Please Add Your Name Here)

H4

H4 Incoming: GIF++ - Week 16 (M.Jaekel, G.Pezzullo)

8 groups/setup running in parallel

• ATL-MPI
• ATL-RPC
• CMS-CSC (x2)
• CMS-DT
• CMS-RPC
• CMS-iRPC
• EP-DT R&D

Most of the setups are ready for the muon beam. Still finalising the ATL-MPI, CMS-iRPC and ATL-RPC installation.
Tomorrow Friday April 21st, after the beam pipe is removed, we foreseen the safety inspections for all the setups in the bunker.

H4 Incoming: RD51 - Week 16 (Yorgos Tsipolitis, Eraldo Oliveri)

PPE134 USERS: Five groups/setups running in parallel

• Timing PICOSEC Micromegas
• Tracking Straw/TIGER
• RD51 GEM/SRS-VMM3a Tracker (DAQ commissioning + different MPGD-based DUT)
• TWIN GEM-based TPC
• CMS ME0

BEAM: muons high rate most of the time. Some pions shifts planned. No electrons. No Magnet.

BEAM TUNING: interested on getting the highest rate with muons as soon as possile. To be agreed with Nikos when. More relaxed for the pions tuning.

INSTALLATION: started this week. To be completed this friday, aligment survey planned for Friday 3pm and safety at 4pm. ISIEC updated to add the information of setup added at later stage.

FLAMMABLE GASES: Visit with flammable gas safety officer wednesday 19 morning to verify the system. Leak test done and setting up ongoing with the help of the Jaillet’s team. Use of gas in the system after the general safety visit on Friday.

H4 Incoming: STRAW Tracker RD - Week 16 (K.Kuznetsova, T.Enik)

see `RD51

H6

H6 Incoming: ATLAS ITK PIXEL - Week 16 (Andre Rummler)

General telescope setup: chiller is back after one years of repairs; cleaned and swapped over Easter; recommissioning (communication issues); telescope chiller broken; replacement in work.

ITk Pixel: irradiated modules in freezer of buffer zone; getting ready for beam; will need to continue setting up on Monday; safety visit 1630 Monday.

H8

H8 Outgoing: MADMAX (Pascal Pralavorio)

Long run of MADMAX ended Friday 14-April as foreseen. All the set-up was dismounted and the zone was free the same friday. Thanks again for all the support and see you next year !

H8 Incoming: LHCb - Week 16 (Please Add Your Name Here)

AOB

Minutes by the respective speakers, edited by D. Lazic, E. B. Holzer and M. Schwinzerl