Speaker
Mark Prokop
(Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Description
The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) proton accelerator is scheduled for
refurbishment starting in FY06. A new low level RF (LLRF) system is part of the
refurbishment plan since the existing LLRF system is analog-based and requires
significant setup and maintenance time. Both field and resonance control aspects
of the current system do not have the flexibility to meet future performance
requirements. The LANSCE accelerator provides both H+ and H- beams and due to the
various user requirements there are a number of different beam pulse types varying
in timing and current. In order to meet user needs, LANSCE must simultaneously
transport both H+ and H- in the accelerator. These requirements have motivated the
development of a new LLRF system based on soft radio technology. The new system
will include field control using feedback and adaptive feed forward techniques, an
upgraded resonance controller with frequency agility to improve startup and fault
recovery times and a high power amplifier pre-compensation controller for improved
cavity fill times and amplifier efficiency. Among the challenges with implementing
the new system are interfacing with existing subsystems of the accelerator.
Author
Mark Prokop
(Los Alamos National Laboratory)
