ALBA is the only synchrotron light source in Spain. Its operation, based on a complex of electron accelerators, allows visualising and analysing matter and its properties at the atomic and molecular level. The ALBA Synchrotron generates about 6.000 hours of synchrotron light per year and receives more than 2.000 visits from research professionals. Its properties allow obtaining high quality information on the characteristics of the samples under analysis. ALBA has eight beamlines operating and five more under construction which are used for experiments in biomedicine, nanotechnology, materials science, artistic and historic heritage, physics, environmental science and chemistry, among other applications.
Managed by the public Consortium for the Construction, Equipment and Exploitation of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory (CELLS) and jointly financed by the Spanish and Catalan governments, the ALBA Synchrotron is a unique scientific and technical infrastructure (ICTS in Spanish) that brings added value to the scientific and industrial sectors. ALBA is a facility committed to scientific excellence and improving the well-being and progress of society as a whole.
The mission of the Accelerators division is to provide synchrotron radiation to the scientific community so that they can perform experiments. In addition, the Accelerator Division contributes to the design of the FCC at CERN as well as to the design of the Compact Light Source, among other international collaborations. The division is in charge of the three electron accelerators used to produce the synchrotron radiation. It has four sections:
- Beam Physics Section: It includes the Beam Dynamics group, in charge of ensuring the proper performance of the accelerators and the development of new operation methodologies; and the Beam Diagnostics group, in charge of operating the instrumentation used to diagnose the beam performance and implementing new developments.
- Radio Frequency (RF) & Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Section: This section is in charge of the operation and new developments of the electron Linear Accelerator and of the high-power RF systems.
- IDs & Front-Ends Section: It is in charge of the Insertion Devices, which are magnetic structures designed to produce tuneable synchrotron light for the beamlines. This section is also in charge of the Front-Ends, which are the systems that connect the accelerator with each one of the beamlines.
- Operations Section: The accelerators run 24/7 with very high availability to ensure the delivery of the synchrotron light to the scheduled experiments. The Operations section, working from the control room in a 24/7 schedule, is in charge of providing the right synchrotron radiation.ç
Human Resources. Talent Acquisition and Personnel management.
Legal Service. Transversal legal services and consultancy. Supervision of legal compliance. Coordination of public procurement, contracts and collaboration agreements.
Finances. Economic and Financial management. Coordination of transversal administrative processes.
Controlling and Grant Management. Supervision and controlling of budgets. Grant management services and consultancy. Coordination of transversal administrative processes.
Supports users’ research and experiments by providing personalized hardware and software solutions. These solutions match service levels adapted for the purpose of tailoring high-performance, easy to use and high-availability for control systems, data acquisition, personnel safety, equipment protection, data analysis, information technologies services and information systems.
- Controls Section: Designs, develops, operates and supports the control systems of the accelerators, beamlines, personnel safety and equipment protection systems, as well as for data acquisition and data analysis at the beamlines.
- Electronics Section: Designs, operates and supports the hardware for the synchrotron’s control and data acquisition systems and also supports the machine’s electronic equipment, power supplies and cabling infrastructure.
- IT Systems Section: Designs, operates and supports IT services: network infrastructure, server, storage, backup, security, application distribution, industrial computing, personal computing, printing, email, telecommunication, video conferencing, etc.
- MIS (Management Information System): Designs, develops, transitions, operates and supports the management of information systems that support CELLS business processes, from site engineering, cable installation, safety and security to digital communication, helpdesk, knowledge management, human resources, purchasing, accounting and finance.
- Scientific Data Management Section: Provides help to beamline scientists and users to process their data, building a bridge between the Computing and Experiments divisions.
It acts as the direct interface between the user and the facility; members of the division design and provide the user with all necessary services including scientific exchange for a successful experiment and its interpretation. The division is made up of scientists supported by technical and administrative staff form the division, organized in three scientific and three support sections:
- Chemistry & Materials Science Section: develops and operates the hard X-ray spectroscopy and scattering beamlines CLÆSS, MSPD, and NOTOS and their support laboratories.
- Electronics and Magnetic Structure of Matter Section: it develops and operates the soft and tender beamlines, BOREAS, CIRCE and LOREA and their support laboratories.
- Life Sciences and Soft Condensed Matter Section: it develops and operates the infrared, soft and hard X-ray beamlines, MIRAS, MISTRAL, NCD-SWEET, XAIRA and XALOC and the biology laboratory infrastructures.
- Beamline Support Section: it provides immediate technical support to users and the beamline program. The section is made up of two groups; the beamline technicians group, which gives support to the beamlines during working hours and the floor coordination group, which supports users and the operations 24/7 on beamtime days.
- Optics, Development & Innovation (R&D): it guarantees state-of-the-art operation of the optical components of all ALBA beamlines. This includes the optical design, optical metrology, physics metrology and support to the development of instrumentation, including troubleshooting and error analysis. It’s in charge of the construction of MINERVA beamline, that will provide a test platform for the telescope’s mirrors to be used in the ATHENA mission.
- User Office: The User Office is the direct portal and first interface between user and facility. It provides advice and services in the preparation phase and during the beamtime to all users and collaborators at the ALBA Synchrotron (travel, expenses, monitoring of publications, etc.).
It provides technical support in relation to the construction and operation of the facility. Its areas of expertise include Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Vacuum, and Cryogenics Engineering, Survey and Alignment, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) calculation and Project Management. The Engineering Division operates within the fields of infrastructure design, construction, maintenance, instrumentation design, project office, prototyping, workshops and labs operation, design office, logistics and transport, security and access control.
- Infrastructure: It manages general facility services such as air conditioning, building, cafeteria, cleaning, cooling, electricity, elevators, furniture, gardening, heating, lighting, fire protection, sanitary water, security & access control, technical pressurized gases, telephony, vending machines, waste disposal, water dispensers, and maintenance of mechanical systems and electrical installations.
- Transversal: It includes the Technical Office responsible for mechanical engineering projects, CAD, mechanical design, simulation, drafting, equipment and instrumentation projects, cryogenics, the vacuum system including its design, simulation, operation and maintenance, and the material pool, and the Survey & Alignment group, responsible for instrumentation positioning, fiducialization, equipment and parts metrology, network alignment measurement, and vibration measurement.
- Workshop & Logistics: Production (CNC manufacturing), welding, mechanical installation, construction, maintenance, manipulation, transport, goods reception and warehouse management
Health & Safety: It is the adviser to the CELLS Director in all occupational health and safety aspects, whether they are related to conventional or radiation protection risks.
Industrial Liaison Office: Single contact point for the industrial community, providing them with advice and support before, during and after the collaborations and services provided by the ALBA Synchrotron.
Communications & Outreach: Responsible for ALBA’s news development, events, corporate communication and ALBA’s outreach activities.
