Mechanical Alignment

Sponsoring University:

Stony Brook University

Course Name:

Mechanical Alignment

Instructors:

Georg Gassner and Kibrom Abraha, SLAC

Purpose and Audience
The purpose of this course is to introduce the students to the survey and geometric alignment of particle beam accelerators. This course is suitable for final-year undergraduate physics, engineering or other related field students who want to gain a deeper understanding of the methodology applied to Large-Scale Metrology (LSM) Accelerator Alignment. Moreover, this course also can provide a broader background to engineers and technicians working in the particle accelerator field.

Prerequisites
Elementary concepts of Probability Theory and Statistics, Linear Algebra and Geometry.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they meet the course prerequisites or have equivalent experience.

Objectives
This introductory course will span from alignment instrumentation and measurement principles to monitoring equipment with a focus on the basic principles of LSM as applied to the alignment of particle accelerators. Fundamental principles of geodesy, which are needed to build global and local reference frames, are introduced. The geodesy specific notation of least-squares data analysis is presented. Survey and alignment procedures and technologies are explored, with an emphasis on applications found in the field of particle accelerators. On completion of this course, the students are expected to understand the basic approach to accelerator alignment, survey methods and best practices. Furthermore, they will be able to analyze the geometry of alignment reference networks and of survey observations.

Instructional Method
This course includes a series of lectures during morning and afternoon sessions. The afternoon will usually include laboratory sessions, which will introduce students to computer simulations and data analysis, and provide hands-on exploration of alignment equipment. Problem sets may be assigned and will be expected to be completed outside of scheduled class sessions. Two instructors will be available.

Course Content
This course is based first on a methodical / mathematical part which is accompanied by a practical / instrumental section with examples and real live applications. Instruction material will be distributed.

First, geodetic aspects of reference frames will be emphasized. Specifically it will be demonstrated how to establish localized geodetic reference systems, including applying them to the experiment coordinate system. Relationships between all these reference systems will be studied. Special emphasis on height systems and their implementation will be provided.

On the instrument side, the course will illustrate how to use laser trackers, digital levels and other alignment equipment. Special emphasis will be given to differentiating the instruments for specific applications and the obtainable measurement accuracy. Examples of recent alignment projects will be discussed. The theory portion will focus on the principle of least-squares adjustment and its application to alignment reference networks and data analysis will be given.

As an additional topic, geometric monitoring systems will be presented.

Reading Requirements
TBD

Credit Requirements
Students will be evaluated based on performance: final exam (40 % of final grade), homework assignments (60 % of final grade).

Stony Brook University course number:
Indiana University course number: Physics 671, Advanced Topics in Accelerator Physics
Michigan State University course number: PHY 963, "U.S. Particle Accelerator School"
MIT course number: 8.790, Accelerator Physics