Machine Protection and Activation

Abstract

Machine Protection can be described as a strategy that modern particle accelerator driven research facilities utilize to achieving high and optimized operational availability. In this context it is important to define what the terms “operational availability” and “machine protection strategy” intend to address. Research facilities have become more complex and also more expensive during the past decades, many times aiming at unprecedented beam energies or beam power levels. Availability in the context of particle accelerator driven research facilities is often referring to “availability of beam” that can be used for scientific applications performed by “users”. This paper provides a general overview of how machine protection can be utilised to increase beam availability of accelerator driven research facilities.