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The pre-alignment of CLIC consists of aligning the components of linacs and beam delivery systems (BDS) in the most accurate possible way, so that a first pilot beam can circulate and allow the implementation of the beam based alignment. Taking into account the precision and accuracy needed: 10 µm rms over sliding windows of 200m, this pre-alignment must be active and it can be divided into two parts: the determination of a straight reference over 20 km, thanks to a metrological network and the determination of the component positions with respect to this reference, and their adjustment. The second part is the object of the paper, describing the steps of the proposed strategy: firstly the fiducialisation of the different components of CLIC; secondly, the alignment of these components on common supports and thirdly the active alignment of these supports using sensors and actuators. These steps have been validated on a test setup over a length of 4m, and the obtained results are analysed.

Since several years, CERN is studying the feasibility of building a high energy e+ e- linear collider: the CLIC (Compact LInear Collider). One of the challenges of such a collider is the pre-alignment precision and accuracy requirement on the transverse positions of the linac components, which is typically 14 μm over a window of 200 m. To ensure the possibility of positioning within such tight constraints, CERN Beams Department’s Survey team has worked intensively at developing the methods and technology needed to achieve that objective. This paper describes activities which were performed on a test bench (mock-up) with five degrees of freedom (DOF) for the qualification of control algorithms for the CLIC supporting system active-pre-alignment. Present understanding, lessons learned (“know how”), issues of sensors noise and mechanical components nonlinearities are presented.

The feasibility of the high energy e+ e- linear collider CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) is very dependent on the ability to accurately pre-align its components. There are two 20 km long Main Linacs which meet in an interaction point (IP). The Main Linacs are composed of thousands of 2 m long modules. One of the challenges is to meet very tight alignment tolerances at the level of CLIC module: for example, the magnetic centre of a Drive Beam Quad needs to be aligned within 20 µm rms with respect to a straight line. Such accuracies cannot be achieved using usual measurement devices. Thus it is necessary to work in close collaboration with the metrology lab. To test and improve many critical points, including alignment, a CLIC mock-up is being assembled at CERN. This paper describes the application of the strategy of fiducialisation for the pre-alignment of CLIC mock-up components. It also deals with the first results obtained by performing measurements using a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) to ensure the fiducialisation, using a Laser Tracker to adjust or check components’ positions on a girder and finally using a Measuring Arm to perform dimensional control after assembling steps.

Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a study for a future 48 km long linear electron-positron collider in the multi TeV range. Its target luminosity can only be reached if the main beam quadrupoles (MB quads) are actively pre-aligned within 17 µm in sliding windows of 200 m with respect to a straight reference line. In addition to the positioning requirement, the pre-alignment system has to provide a rigid support for the nano-stabilization system to ensure that the first eigenfrequency is above 100 Hz. Re-adjustment based on cam movers was chosen for detailed studies to meet the stringent pre-alignment requirements. There are four different types of MB quads in CLIC. Their lengths and masses vary so that at least two types of cam movers have to be developed. The validation of the cams with less stringent space restrictions has proceeded to a test setup in 5 degrees of freedom (DOF). Prototypes of the more demanding, smaller cams have been manufactured and they are under tests in 1 DOF. This paper describes the challenges, test methods and results as well as current status of development of both cam based system types.

The CLIC main beam quadrupoles need to be prealigned within 17 um rms with respect to a straight reference line along a sliding window of 200 m. A readjustment system based on eccentric cam movers, which will provide stiffness to the support assembly, is being studied. The cam movers were qualified on a 1 degree of freedom (DOF) test setup, where a repeatability of adjustment below 1um was measured along their whole range. This paper presents the 5 DOF mock-up, built for the validation of the eccentric cam movers, as well as the first results of tests carried out: resolution of displacement along the whole range, measurements of the support eigenfrequencies.

The micron-precision RF structures are mounted and aligned on specially developed supporting girders, which provide stability and re-positioning. The supporting girders have stiffness and damping specifications imposed by stringent beam physics and RF requirements. In addition, several constraints, such as allocated space and weight limitation have to be taken into consideration. This paper describes different support concepts following various fabrication techniques and materials. Extensive qualification measurements have been performed on the first prototype units, and the main results are also reported.

The active pre-alignment of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is one of the key points of the project: the components must be pre-aligned w.r.t. a straight line within a few microns over a sliding window of 200 m, along the two linacs of 20 km each. The proposed solution consists of stretched wires of more than 200 m, overlapping over half of their length, which will be the reference of alignment. Wire Positioning Sensors (WPS), coupled to the supports to be pre-aligned, will perform precise and accurate measurements within a few microns w.r.t. these wires. A micrometric fiducialisation of the components and a micrometric alignment of the components on common supports will make the strategy of pre-alignment complete. In this paper, the global strategy of active pre-alignment is detailed and illustrated by the latest results demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed solution.