First operational test of the Booster accelerator of ALBA

ALBA is a 3rd generation synchrotron light source facility which is in its last phase of construction at Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona. The synchrotron light of ALBA will provide a world class light quality (brilliance) to be used for research in a broad band of scientific disciplines.

ALBA is composed of three accelerators: the Linac, the Booster and the Storage Ring; and seven beamlines (Initial Phase).

The Linac was commissioned last year together with the finalization of the building construction. In it the electron beam is created and accelerated up to 100 MeV. The beam is then injected into the second accelerator, the Booster, where the beam energy is increased until 3 GeV (reaching 99.999999% of the light’s velocity). This is the most critical part of the accelerator’s chain. Finally, this beam is injected into the Storage Ring, where the electron beam is stored for the production of the Synchrotron Light.

The ALBA Booster, which has been completely designed, assembled and tested by the ALBA team, is the first high energy accelerator built in Spain, and with its new design, it is also the accelerator of its kind with the worldwide smallest emittance (electron beam size).

During the last two weeks the first operational tests have been performed in the Booster, with results that show that all the components, subsystems and equipment perform accordantly to specifications. This was the main objective of the tests, which have been performed in this short and limited period of time in order not to interfere excessively with the installation of the Storage Ring and the beamlines.

These excellent results are a reason of great satisfactions and also an encouragement to achieve the next milestones: the operation of the Storage Ring, in autumn of this year; and finally; the operation of the complete facility, expected at the beginning of 2011.

Details of the test here.