Overview of the Spallation Neutron Source Linac Low-Level RF Control System

The design and production of the Spallation Neutron Source Linac Low-Level RF control system is complete, and installation will be finished in Spring 2005. The warm linac beam commissioning run in Fall 2004 was the most extensive test to date of the LLRF control system, with fourteen (of an eventual 96) systems operating simultaneously. In this paper we present an overview of the LLRF control system, the experience in designing, building and installing the system, and operational results.

INTRODUCTION

The installation of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Linac Low-Level RF (LLRF) control system is complete, and beam commissioning of the entire Linac is planned for summer 2005. All 96 Linac LLRF stations utilize the same hardware, software and firmware platform to achieve the required cavity field amplitude and phase regulation of ±1% and ±ldeg, respectively. This platform was developed under collaboration between Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley and Oak Ridge national laboratories and is described more fully in previous papers [1], [2].