Barcelona, 11th October 2017.

During one week, Barcelona welcomes more than 600 specialists working on large experimental physics facilities around the world (accelerators, particle detectors, light and neutron sources, fusion reactors, telescopes, etc.), who attend the 16th edition of the International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems (ICALEPCS), hosted by the ALBA Synchrotron. ICALEPCS is a biennial series of conferences started in the 80s at Los Alamos National Laboratory and CERN. It is a forum for the interchange of ideas and information between control system experts promoting standardization and collaboration between institutions and optimising the efforts made in this rapidly changing discipline.

Large research infrastructures need of high performing and cost effective control systems in order to operate the complex devices that make possible to run experiments. The assembly of hardware and software devoted to the acquisition of signals and experimental data, as well as the transmission of commands and values in order to supervise, regulate and operate the different equipments are part of the control systems. Also, other aspects related to safety protection of equipment and personnel are being discussed, as well as the evolution of software and hardware technology, how to improve user interfaces and experience, data management and analysis, and timing and synchronization, among others.

Among the keynote speakers of ICALEPCS there are Michael Ossmann, wireless security researcher who makes hardware for hackers, Eugenio Coccia, one of the authors of recent discoveries of gravitational waves, or Gregorio Ameyugo, deputy director of CEA List, a French institute dedicated to smart digital systems.

The conference also includes an industrial exhibition, with the participation of companies specialised in scientific equipment and cutting-edge technology. Delegates will have the opportunity to visit the ALBA Synchrotron facilities on Friday 13 October.

For further information: http://www.icalepcs2017.org

Picture gallery of the event: http://www.icalepcs2017.org/index.php/gallery/sunday-october-8th

Left, David Fernández, conference chairman and head of the Computing division in ALBA, opening the conference. Right, Caterina Biscari, director of the ALBA Synchrotron, during her speech as keynote speaker.  

Left, group photo with all the attendees. Right, Óscar Matilla, programme chair and head of the Electronics section of ALBA, during his talk.