PS/SPS User Meeting

Thursday 26 Jun 2025, 10:30 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

874/1-011 (CERN)

Martin R. Jaekel (CERN), Paolo Martinengo (CERN)

Minutes of Meeting 

The template for the minutes of meeting for the weekly PS & SPS users meeting can always be found using this link: https://codimd.web.cern.ch/0aHs5uqmSPuII76-SaaQdg

Please pre-fill them before the meeting with a summary of your activities!

Minutes of the PS & SPS User Meeting.pdf

PS-SPS Users Meeting for Week 26 held on 26 June 2025

Coordinator for this week: Martin Jäkel

• Current PS / SPS User schedule v1.2.1

• Injector schedule (v1.2, 16.05.) for 2025 is available here: https://edms.cern.ch/document/3057281/latest

EuroLabs : Application are open. Please submit your requests.

News from the PS & SPS Physics Coordinator

M.R. Jäkel, P. Martinengo

Physics Run 2025 Information

• Physics p+ NA Ends 24.11.2025
• Physics Pb Ion NA 28.11-08.12
• Physics PB Ion EA 17.11-08.12

Reminder: Beam time (main user) exceeding the limits of 2 weeks PS beam time and 1 week SPS beam time per year need the approval of one of these CERN committees: SPSC, LHCC or RB. Endorsment of DRDC or IEFC is a pre-requirement for longer beam time that still needs SPSC approval. Endorsement of beam time by the scientific committie does not guarantee the beam time can be scheduled.

Target intensities:
See via ASM (accessible from within the CERN network).

News from the Facilities Operations Meeting (FOM)

Thursday 03/07:
Half-day long parallel MD (8h00-13h00), without extraction to NA.

Will be used to investigate P42 magnet that failed a while ago.

Upcoming SPS MDs next weeks :

https://be-dep-ea.web.cern.ch/content/md-planning-north-area
Dedicated SPS MDs - if not anounced differently - are taking place from 8:00 to 18:00

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PS Machine Report (Ruben Garcia Alia)

• Availability from Thu to start of TS1: ~90% (main downtime: 18 kV station intervention)
  • Some TS restrart issues (FGC rollback, 10 MHz cavities…)
  • Full beam recovery still ongoing, but near completion
• Some MTE beam quality issues over the weekend (due to BI1.DVT70 [PSB injection] not pulsing)
• Brightness interlock issues in TOF (further work in progress)
• Ion beam: satellites/losses in SPS due to large longitudinal emittance (but no obvious solution for now, and also not blocking)
• T8 steering coming out of technical stop

SPS Machine Report (Michael Schenk)

• Beam delivery (orange: expected, green: delivered)
  

• Availability (Thu - Thu): ~86 % (not accounting for RP cool-down & TS1 [Mon 7 a.m. - Wed 12:30 p.m.])

• Main downtime due to

  • Intervention on 18 kV distribution station in Meyrin (Thu, 19.6.)
  • FGC firmware rollback after TS1; affecting several machines (Wed, afternoon)
  • Main rf trips, short except for C2 (Sat)
  • Faults in injectors

• Degraded beam (50 Hz harmonics); expert intervention to adjust controller bounds (Fri)

• Plans

  • Finalize setting up for ion run SFT & LHC
    • SFT: ION DSO tests ongoing until ~12:00 p.m. followed by setting up slow extraction and target steering
    • LHC (ions): finalize setting up; first injections expected during weekend.

Safety (James Devine)

• AUG installation in EHN2, completed on Monday without power cut. Thanks to EN/EL.
• Safety shoes are required for all beamline areas (EHN1, 157, AD). These are PPE (personal) and there is no central stock you can borrow from, you should bring your own to CERN or you can buy them (with a budget code from the CERN stores). You can buy them via CErN stores https://edh.cern.ch
• Reminder on dress code for hot weather. Shorts and vest tops are not permitted in beam line areas. See HSE memo (English and French). https://edms.cern.ch/document/2193556/1
• Reminder about bump caps: Helmets are required for working in all beam line areas, however you may wear a bump cap for punctual interventions in areas where a helmet doesn’t fit. Purchase from CERN stores via SCEM 50.43.30.072.4. HSE guidance on the correct use of bump caps is available here: https://edh.cern.ch/edhcat/Images/303775/50.43.30.071.NOTICE.pdf

TT42 Main: n_TOF (Alice MANNA, Paolo M MILAZZO)

Interventions performed in the shadow of the TS:

• 40Ar irradiated gas discharged in a dedicated scuba bottle, under the RP supervision
• Change of measurement in EAR1, same C6D6 experimental set-up of previous measurement, some LaBr3 detectors added to the configuration.

Restart of data taking on:
• EAR1: measurement of 56Fe(n, gamma) reaction, with C6D6 liquid scintillators
• EAR2: micromegas detector for the study of 236U(n, f) reaction.
• NEAR: Activation measurements.

East Area Beam Status (Maarten van Dijk)

On call phone number:  67500

East Area: Issue overnight with reset of timing-related values on magnets, likely from the FGC rollback last evening. Reset this morning (Thursday 26/06), beams in T09 and T10 from 09:00 onward.
T09/T10: Good operation.
T11: Scaffolding platform installed in preparation for P349. CLOUD removed hodoscope and hand rails also removed. Final connection to platform to be done shortly. P349+ (P371) installation to start next week.

East Area Users Tour de Table

T8 Main: IRRAD_CHARM (F. Ravotti / S. Fiore)

Short run this week. We received on T8 ~1.65E16 p/w, as shown below, since the beam stopped on Monday 3pm for the TS1. Beam centering statistics again decreasing: ~>80% on both axis

On the Wednesday access slot: in IRRAD we started preparing and testing the DAQ ALICE FOCAL run of next week, modified HEARTS setup for MD solots and replace samples / continue the other experiments (ATLAS ITk – Triplet for TE-MSC (polymers in inert gas and ambient air) and epoxy resins in ambient air.

In CHARM we removed experiments by SY-RF, started ATLAS experiment in R10 and modified setups by BE-CEM.

At the restart after the TS tonignt (~2:15am) we got 1h of beam significantly off-centered:

Prolonged exposure with this condition can affect the results of some of our experiments. Thus, when “signicant” beam steering is needed and cannot be promptly performed, please do not hesitate to inform us and stop the T8 beam. Thanks! Also metigation measures already been discussed.

We continue until Wednesday with MD slot (3am-8am) before the access at 9am.

T9 Outgoing Main: E+BOOST (Please insert your name)

T9 Main: DRD6 HGCCAL (Jack Rolph)

General: HGCCAL experimental setup complete, beam tuning complete.

Plans: Use pion beam instead of muons for calibration due to contamination in beam - 10-12 hrs datataking.

T10 Outgoing Main: SHIP TD (Please insert your name)

T10 Main: ALICE_TIMING (Sofia Strazzi)

• Yesterday: intallation of the whole setup and safety inspection (no beam until this morning)
• We are currently aligning the sensors
• Plan:
  - Take data with different irradiated CMOS LGADs using an oscilloscope readout
  - Taking data on LGADs and CMOS LGADs with p-FEBd board + picoTDC
  - Test LGAD and CMOS LGADs with a tracking telescope during the second week

North Area Beam Status (Maarten van Dijk)

On call phone number:  67500

General: Access in TCC2 for inspection of problematic P42 quadrupole on Thursday, 03.07.25, from 08:00 to 10:00, during the parallel SPS MD. During this time, no beams to the North Area.
H2: Good operation. Preparations ongoing for the ion run in H2 beamline.
H6: Good operation at higher rate for EP PIXEL. Beamline off for ion run. PPE136, 146 and 156 will be accessible during this time until the 7th of July.
H4/H8/M2/P42/K12: Good operation. Off until 07.07.25.

North Area Users Tour de Table

H2 Main: NA61_SHINE (Please insert your name)

H4 Outgoing Main: NA64e (L. Molina Bueno)

We dedicated last week to collect data using positrons with POKER calorimeter (see more details in next contribution). We collected 2821 spills (3.24x10^9 e+OT) at 45 GeV and 5155 spills, 6.39x10^9 e+OT, at 40 GeV.
On Monday at 7 am we start dismounting to prepare the setup for the last week after oxygen run dedicated to hadrons.

H4 Outgoing Parallel: POKER (A. Celentano)

Succesfull beam time. The PKR-CAL detector was installed and integrated in the NA64 setup, calibrated at various energies and intensities, and finally some data was accumulated at 40 GeV / 45 GeV for a proof-of-concept positron-beam, missing-energy measurement at low energy.

• Thursday: detector calibration at 70 GeV and 40 GeV
• Friday: detector calibration at 20 GeV, intensity scan. Missing-energy trigger commissioning.
• Saturday/Sunday: data taking. Overall, accumulated ~ 3.2E9 E+OT at 45 GeV and 6.4E9 E+OT at 40 GeV. Nominal beam intensity was 2E6 / spill.
• Monday morning: detector dismounting.

We’d like to thank the transport team and the radiation survey group (Y. Pira) for their prompt action, allowing us to move the detector in the NA64 storage area already on Monday morning.

H6 Outgoing Main: EP_PIXEL (Younes Otarid)

• Successful commissioning of the EP_PIXEL telescope setup
• Stable data taking over the course of available beam time
• Data taken for two DUTS: H2M and Timepix3 TiLGAD

H8 Outgoing Main: STI (L.S. Esposito)

• The TimePix3 telescope, goniometer and laser system for crystal pre-alignment were all successfully tested.
• The DAQ framework performed well, and we collected valuable data to further optimize the system.
• Reconstructed data show the expected beam profile.
• We need to make improvements in the timing synchronisation and in the online monitoring required to qualify the crystals.
• We’ll keep the equipment in PPE128 (with no beam) for further checks and enhancements until July 4th.
• We still have work to do, but we’re on the right track. We’re looking forward to measuring our first CERN crystals with the TimePix3 telescope in week 35.
• Many thanks for your support during the test, and a special thanks to Maarten for his availability throughout the run.

K12-P42 Main: NA62 (Lubos Bician)

• Relatively smooth data taking on Friday and over the weekend
• We prepared for the possible power cut(s) on Monday. We then spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday morning returning to normal operation.
• There was an issue with losing patrol in ECN3 due to a fault in one of the doors. This was fixed on Wednesday morning by intervention on the door and cavern patrol.
• We appreciate getting at least some beam during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, as well as the ~40 additional minutes on Thursday morning.

M2 Outgoing Main: MUONE (Please insert your name)

H8 Parasitic: STRAW_TRACKER_RD (Please insert your name)

M2 Outgoing Parasitic: AMBER (Please insert your name)

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AoB

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Minutes by the respective speakers, edited by M. Jäkel and M. Malkin

10:30 → 10:35 News from the PS & SPS Physics Coordinator

Speaker: Martin R. Jaekel (CERN)

10:35 → 10:40 PS machine report

Members of be-dep-ps-coordinators can upload material.

Speakers: Alexander Huschauer (CERN), Alexandre Lasheen (CERN), Bettina Mikulec (CERN), Denis Gerard Cotte (CERN), Ewen Hamish Maclean (CERN), Ruben Garcia Alia (CERN), Yann Dutheil (CERN)

10:40 → 10:43 Safety / Radiation Protection

Speakers: Evelyne Dho (CERN), James Devine (CERN), Jean-Francois Gruber (CERN), Letizia Di Giulio (CERN), Marcus Jankowski (CERN)

10:43 → 10:46 nTOF

Speakers: Alberto Mengoni (CERN & INFN, Bologna), Alice Manna (CERN, Geneva), Michael Bacak (Vienna University of Technology (AT)), Paolo Maria Milazzo (Universita e INFN Trieste (IT))

10:46 → 10:49 East Area Beam Status

Speakers: Bastien Rae (CERN), Dipanwita Banerjee (CERN), Johannes Bernhard (CERN), Maarten Van Dijk (CERN), Michael Lazzaroni (CERN), Nikolaos Charitonidis (CERN)

10:49 → 11:07 East Area Users Tour de Table

11:07 → 11:10 North Area Beam Status

Speakers: Bastien Rae (CERN), Dipanwita Banerjee (CERN), Johannes Bernhard (CERN), Maarten Van Dijk (CERN), Nikolaos Charitonidis (CERN)

11:10 → 11:13 Main AWAKE

11:10 → 11:13 Main HIRADMAT

Members of the ps-sps-users e-group can upload material

11:13 → 11:37 North Area Users Tour de Table

11:37 → 11:40 Parasitic Users

Reporting is not obligatory,
Members of ps-sps-users e-group can upload material

11:40 → 11:43 AOB