Tag: Proton Synchrotron
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Accelerator Report: Final countdown – CERN’s injector complex enters its last stretch before LS3
The LHC has already fallen silent for Long Shutdown 3 (LS3), but elsewhere across CERN’s accelerator complex the pace remains intense. With just a week and a half of beam operation remaining, the countdown has begun for all the machines, which will switch off their beams at 6.00 a.m. on Monday, 31 August, marking the
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n_TOF experiment sheds light on ancient stardust
Niobium-94, an isotope of niobium with 41 protons and 53 neutrons, is a critical crossroads in the complex nuclear processes that forge heavy elements under the intense pressures and temperatures of dying stars. Writing in Physical Review Letters, the n_TOF Collaboration reports the first ever measurement of the probability of niobium-94 taking one of the
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Accelerator Report: An important upgrade to the PS radiofrequency system and a heavy ion run in full swing
In a particle accelerator, radiofrequency (RF) systems are among the crucial components that make beam production possible. While magnets guide the particles around the ring, RF systems provide the beam with its longitudinal structure: they accelerate it, keep it captured in bunches, shape it, split it, rotate it and ensure synchronisation for transfer to the
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Accelerator Report: Excellent performance at the LHC
The LHC has successfully reached the nominal performance required for Run 3, marking an important milestone in the 2026 physics programme. It has now entered a special run with a reduced number of collisions per bunch crossing
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Accelerator Report: We reached 100!
On 6 October, the total integrated luminosity passed the symbolic mark of 100 fb⁻¹, exceeding the forecast curve. This allowed the bunch intensity to be increased to explore the intensity reach and limitations in view of the HL-LHC era
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Accelerator Report: Good performance for some, swift recovery for others
The LHC pre-injectors delivered excellent availability throughout recent weeks, while an SPS electrical fault and an LHC collimator vacuum leak have been overcome, allowing a successful return to full luminosity production
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Accelerator Report: The accelerator complex, between precision repairs and future-facing studies
The past weeks brought a mix of hands-on interventions and forward-looking studies across the CERN accelerator complex, while the LHC continued to catch up with the forecast luminosity curve
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Accelerator Report: A summer of hot spells for the LHC
So far the summer run has seen solid progress in luminosity production, but also some unexpected beam and machine behaviour. Careful monitoring revealed a hardware issue, now being closely watched as the LHC continues to perform at full capacity.
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Particles are back in the accelerators
The four accelerators that feed into the Large Hadron Collider have all been restarted, while the LHC itself will receive its first particles in April
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Accelerator Report: Recommissioning on track as the first beams progress through the complex
The recommissioning of the accelerators is progressing according to schedule. Unsurprisingly, some issues have arisen, but they have been swiftly addressed by equipment experts. First physics in the PS East Area and n_TOF is scheduled to start next week