Performance verification of a precise vibrating-wire magnet alignment technique for next-generation light sources.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Accelerator Science
• Engineering

Background:

• High-accuracy magnet alignment (10 µm or better) is essential for next-generation light-source rings to ensure adequate dynamic apertures.
• Conventional vibrating-wire alignment methods rely on theoretical catenary curves to determine wire sag, potentially introducing errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the accuracy of magnet alignment techniques for particle accelerators.
• To investigate and mitigate systematic errors in vibrating-wire alignment, including thermal drift and reassembly effects.

Main Methods:

• Experimental measurement of wire sag profiles in the longitudinal direction to micrometer-order accuracy.
• Development and utilization of a test bench for a vibrating-wire alignment system applied to multipole magnets.
• Investigation of systematic error factors such as thermal deformation and reassembly-induced changes in magnetic centers.

Main Results:

• Selection of suitable wires significantly reduces deviations between actual and theoretical wire sag.
• Achieved micrometer-order standard deviation for total error in magnetic center measurements.
• Quantified the impact of thermal drift and reassembly on magnetic center alignment.

Conclusions:

• Optimized vibrating-wire alignment techniques can achieve micrometer-level precision for magnet positioning in accelerators.
• Understanding and accounting for systematic errors are critical for practical, high-accuracy magnet alignment in real-world applications.
• The refined method provides a robust solution for the precise alignment requirements of future light-source rings.