Development of the beam loss monitor system at HIAF

Purpose This paper presents the Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system design for the High-Intensity Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) - currently integrating a superconducting linear accelerator with a high-energy synchrotron to deliver proton-to-uranium ion beams at MeV/u to GeV/u energies. The system aims to achieve spatial loss mapping, enable precision diagnostics, maintain low activation levels for hands-on maintenance, and prevent equipment damage from high-power beams (e.g., 28-kW continuous-wave beams).
Methods The BLM architecture was developed to meet critical integration requirements with the Fast Machine Protection System (MPS), featuring ultra-fast response (≤20 μs), sub-microsecond resolution, broad dynamic range, and radiation-hardened sensitivity; validation combined experimental and simulated approaches for detector calibration, ≤20 μs interlock functionality verification with MPS, availability analysis under fault scenarios, and real-time deployment in a circular accelerator.
Results The system demonstrated ≤20 μs beam-abort triggering, full compatibility across all ion species (H-U), energies (MeV/u-GeV/u), and time structures including 28-kW CW beams; radiation-hardened operation maintained stability under extreme conditions, while circular accelerator tests confirmed real-time loss detection capability and compliance with low-activation requirements for maintenance access.
Conclusion This work establishes a robust safety-diagnostics framework for next-generation heavy-ion facilities, delivering mission-critical equipment protection against high-power beams and high-fidelity diagnostics for accelerator tuning while resolving fundamental beam-loss monitoring challenges at HIAF-scale installations.