Fermi National Laboratory


Tevatron Alignment Task Force Celebrates Shutdown Accomplishments

Tevatron Alignment Group You may have noticed several towers nailed together from 2x4's sitting atop the Tevatron tunnel during shutdown. This was not a modern art installation, but part of an ingenious method for realigning the particle beam called TevNet. The Alignment Task Force, a 45-member collaboration of people from the Particle Physics, Accelerator, and Technical Divisions, celebrated TevNet and other accomplishments from the shutdown at their meeting on Monday. "Many thanks are due to the people who were responsible for implementing our proposals for the shutdown," commented group leader Ray Stefanski.

To tie the Tevatron magnets into a global alignment system--a system based on lab-wide coordinates--a line-of-sight between the tunnel and the surface was needed at twelve or more points around the ring. Fortunately, with the help of FESS and the AD Mechanical Department, a dozen hollow vent shafts were found that could be modified to serve as site-risers. "This was the breakthrough that made TevNet possible," Stefanski said.

During the shutdown the task force also coordinated work to correct magnet rolls, to adjust misaligned smart bolts in dipole cryostats in the arcs nearest CDF and D0, to replace rusty magnet stands, and to install motion detectors to measure systematic movement of the tunnel.

"The upshot of all of this is corrector magnets are running at lower currents," run coordinator Jim Volk noted. "This makes tuning on the machine easier and should help to improve luminosity for the experiments. There is more to do in the next shutdown but things should be better now."



last modified 12/16/2003   email Fermilab

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