CERN Accelerating science

Beam instrumentation concerns the technologies needed to make direct measurements of beam observables such as beam position, intensity and size. These observations provide the diagnostic information to operate and improve the performance of accelerators and the associated transfer lines. As an example, to minimise emittance growth - which is needed to maximize luminosity - accelerator operators & physicists need measurements of the beam size throughout the acceleration cycle. An ideal beam instrument should have: sufficient accuracy & precision; be fast enough to measure the beam parameters of the individual bunches that make up the beam and should have no effect on the beam itself. The development of such an instrument to measure beam size has proven to be particularly challenging, since the measurement method typically involves the direct interaction of the beam with the instrument. This seminar will present the realization of a new type of beam size monitor based on the detection of rest gas ionisation electrons with Timepix3 hybrid pixel detectors installed directly inside the accelerator beam pipe. The concept is based on an idea first proposed some 60 years ago, but the application of the Timepix3 technology to this method facilitates new beam diagnostic insights. The seminar will conclude with a survey of possible future applications of Timepix3/4 technology for beam instrumentation at CERN.