A fast optics and orbit correction program

CEBAF is a large recirculating linear accelerator with approximately 1600 magnet power supplies in the beam transport system. The average beam power can be as great as 800 kW, concentrated into a spot of area less than 0.01 mm{sup 2}. Control of the transport is therefore quite critical, to avoid missteering the beam. To prevent dangerous beam losses and to prepare optics changes, the control programs must read the magnet power supplies and calculate the optics in a virtually real-time manner. A program named OLE (On-Line Envelope) has been developed at CEBAF to give a graphical display of the calculated machine {beta} function or, equivalently, the beam envelope. The time interval necessary to execute the program is somewhat less than one second, short enough that the operator can use it for setting up his lattice. Emphasis in the design was placed on speed of program execution at the expense of generality of application. As a result, the accelerator operator will be able to alter the magnetic field in any element in the machine, calculate the {beta} functions in both planes at the entrance and exit of each magnet, and display graphs of the functions, all within one second. The time that is required is short enough that the process approximates fairly well real-time operation