Fast Beam-Based Alignment for the Diamond Storage Ring

This project will develop a new software tool to speed up the routine procedure of preparing the Diamond Storage Ring for user operation following a shutdown or intervention.

For optimal performance, the electron beam should pass through the centre of each quadrupole magnet in the storage ring. Misalignments creep in over time and need to be corrected. Beam-based alignment (BBA) is a method to restore the optimal alignment by measuring the effect of each magnet on the path of the beam itself. There is a reliable method in use at present, but it is slow, taking six to eight hours to complete. This project will implement a new algorithm, dubbed Fast BBA, that has the potential to greatly reduce the time required for the alignment procedure. It will build on work already done at Diamond to prototype and investigate the fast BBA method, and on work published by other facilities around the world.

This is a collaborative project between the Control Systems and Accelerator Physics teams and will suit those who have an interest in both software and the physics of particle accelerators. Part of the time will be spent developing the method by conducting experiments operating the Diamond accelerators, and part on building it into a robust software tool.  You will learn the background of accelerator physics required and will gain hands on experience of software engineering.