Software development for a high-speed digitizer to provide online access to longitudinal bunch profiles in the Large Hadron Collider

Abstract

Particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) strive for high luminosity in order to produce as much data for physics experiments as possible. Measuring the performance of an accelerator is a crucial step in improving it. Accelerator physicists have proposed novel diagnostic methods utilising longitudinal bunch profiles from wall current monitors. So far at CERN, online access to these profiles with the required performance to enable new diagnostic methods did not exist. As a result of this thesis, a proof-of-concept software solution to acquire and provide online access to wall current monitor data from the LHC was created. In the process, the limitations stemming from the existing hardware and software resources, as well as the users’ needs were considered. The software solution along with its component algorithms was validated with the acquisition of real wall current signals from the LHC.