Projects – EPICS Controls

Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA)

Ralph Lange — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:44:26 +0000

The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA) is the first realization of a 4𝜋 high-resolution gamma-ray detector array. GRETA was completed in 2026 and built by a team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and including staff from Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. The array uses 120 large-volume high-purity Germanium crystals, electrically segmented into 36 segment volumes. The signals from each segment and the full crystal are digitized and processed to localize the individual interactions of gamma-rays in the detector to mm precision in all three spatial dimensions. Gamma-rays are then reconstructed based on the most likely scattering sequence between interaction points, allowing efficient rejection of background. GRETA’s detector, electronics and computing technologies combine to create the most sensitive gamma-ray spectrometer ever deployed.

GRETA is now starting operations with a scientific mission to study the structure and excitations of the atomic nucleus. Comprising 99.9% of the visible matter in the universe, nuclei are central to fundamental questions in physics, such as our understanding of the origin of the elements and how complex many-body quantum systems organize. Their properties depend sensitively on the number of protons (Z) and neutrons (N), and much of what we know about them comes from the measurement and characterization of their excitation modes, energy levels, and decays. High-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy is one of the most sensitive and powerful techniques to study nuclear structure and decays.

XLab Frascati (XlabF) at INFN-LNF

Ralph Lange — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:04:02 +0000

In the INFN-LNF laboratories, XLab Frascati (XlabF, headed by Prof. S. Dabagov) specializes in experimental and theoretical research on the interactions between charged particle beams, electromagnetic radiation, and matter, as well as among the beams themselves. Particular emphasis is placed on three powerful techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD) for structural and phase analysis of crystalline materials, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for elemental composition mapping and trace detection, and X-ray tomography (XCT) for non-destructive three-dimensional imaging of internal microstructures. These techniques are also actively developed and refined at XlabF, pushing the boundaries of spatial resolution, sensitivity, and data acquisition speed.

At the same time, XlabF dedicates a significant portion of its activities to the production and characterization of specialized X-ray optics, namely polycapillary lenses. In this framework, the X-Channel Technology Pole (part of XlabF) was established with the explicit goal of producing poly- and micro-capillaries for fabricating X-ray optics with tailored shapes and transmission characteristics. The integration of polycapillary lenses with conventional X-ray sources enables the creation of exceptionally brilliant micro-beams, which dramatically enhance the performance of the aforementioned spectroscopic and imaging techniques.

Turkish Accelerator & Radiation Laboratory (TARLA)

Ralph Lange — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 13:11:20 +0000

The Turkish Accelerator Radiation Laboratory (TARLA) is a multi-purpose and multidisciplinary research facility to promote scientific and technical knowledge on accelerator science and serve researchers and industry “the-state-of-art” capabilities. It is located on the Gölbaşı Ankara University Campus near Ankara.

At TARLA, the linear electron accelerator, equipped with two beamlines and five experimental stations, generates an electron beam with a kinetic energy of up to 40 MeV. This beam is used for Free Electron Laser (FEL) light generation, Bremsstrahlung (gamma radiation) and secondary particle experiments. Furthermore, FEL light is also used in experiments coupled to Pump-Probe and SPM systems. TARLA’s light generation capability spans a wide spectral range from UV to Mid-IR, opening up new research avenues in light & material interaction.

Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Han — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 11:25:54 +0000

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) is a third-generation synchrotron light source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Built in 1993, the ALS serves over 40 beamlines and is one of the world’s brightest ultraviolet and soft X-ray light sources. The 196.8-meter circumference storage ring has an electron beam energy of 1.9 GeV. It supports experiments across various fields, including materials science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental sciences. The ALS is upgrading to become a fourth-generation light source, adding a new accumulator ring and replacing the existing storage ring—the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences program funds the ALS operation and its upgrade project.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

Ralph Lange — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 13:44:57 +0000

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a National Centre of the Government of India, under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy. At TIFR Hyderabad, we carry out interdisciplinary research in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

We are an active user of EPICS for the control system development of laser-driven particle accelerators. We are currently involved in two major projects that use the EPICS framework:

The Petawatt Laser particle accelerator
We are at the frontiers of laser-matter interactions by exciting matter with intense, femtosecond laser pulses, which can create extremely ultra-dense, hot plasmas – a highly excited state of matter.
The commissioning of the Ti-Sapphire Laser System of petawatt class power is in the pipeline, for which EPICS is the core middleware for control system design. The provision of two output beams at approx. 25 fs pulse duration is being planned: One Low Energy Beam with 50 TW at 5 Hz repetition rate and one High Energy Beam with 1 PW at 1 Hz.
The Extreme Photonics Innovation Centre
Funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this £4 million centre jointly established between UK’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is aimed at developing technology for next-generation accelerators using lasers. We are jointly developing control systems for various laser facilities in CLF as well as in TIFR.

Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC)

Ralph Lange — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 12:16:07 +0000

The Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) is an exciting accelerator research facility in Ibaraki, Japan, operated by a cooperation between KEK and JAEA.

J-PARC has three proton accelerators: the 400 MeV proton linac (LINAC), the 3 GeV rapid-cycle synchrotron (RCS), and the 30 GeV Main Ring (MR). With its MW-class high power proton beams, various researches have been carrying out at three experimental facilities: materials and life science experimental facility (MLF), hadron experimental facility (HD), and neutrino experimental facility (NU).
J-PARC will throw light on the mysteries of the creation and structure of our universe by investigating matters at all levels, from quarks to atoms.

Since the first beam to LINAC in 2006, J-PARC has been operated by an EPICS based control system.

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC)

Ralph Lange — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 09:45:28 +0000

The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) operates two synchrotron light sources, named Taiwan Light Source (TLS) and Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), which are both accessible for industrial and academic research communities.

The TLS with an electron beam energy of 1.5 GeV and a circumference of 120 meters was completed in 1993 and became the first third-generation synchrotron light source in Asia. The TPS has a 3 GeV, 518-meter circumference, low-emittance synchrotron storage ring that was completed in 2014 and opened to users in 2016. Apart from meeting much-anticipated scientific demands for high brightness and coherent X-rays, the TPS is one of few ultra-high brightness synchrotrons in the world.

The TPS control system has adopted EPICS as its framework, and is using it since 2014 to support commissioning and routine operation. Main features of the TPS control system are great expansibility, good flexibility, good integration and rich GUI display applications. To save resources for the TLS control system maintenance and development, EPICS has been adopted for newly developed and rejuvenated TLS controls subsystems. The EPICS related applications are developed continually, accompanying the existing TLS controls environment. The TLS control system allows two kinds of control environments to work together seamlessly.

Experiments at GSI and FAIR

Ralph Lange — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 08:56:43 +0000

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research) operates a large-scale worldwide unique accelerator facility for heavy ions. Researchers from all over the world use the facility for experiments to gain new insights about the building blocks of matter and the evolution of the universe. In addition they develop new applications in medicine and technology.

FAIR — Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research
At GSI, FAIR is currently being built, an international accelerator facility for the research with antiprotons and ions which is being developed and constructed in cooperation with international partners. It is one of the world’s largest construction projects for international cutting-edge research.

Especially the nuclear and particle physics experiments currently at HADES, and in the future at FAIR: CBM, R3B and PANDA are using EPICS to control their experiment setups.

Find out more at: https://www.gsi.de/en/about_us.htm

Image: GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, T.Middelhauve/GSI/FAIR

China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS)

Ralph Lange — Tue, 21 May 2019 11:17:27 +0000

The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), operated by the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), has been built at Dongguan city in China.

CSNS mainly consists of an H-linac, a proton rapid cycling synchrotron, a target station and three spectrometers. It is designed to accelerate proton beam pulses to 1.6 GeV energy at 25 Hz repetition rate, striking a solid metal target to produce spallation neutrons. The accelerator is designed to deliver a beam power of 100 kW with the upgrade capability to 500 kW by raising the linac output energy and increasing the beam intensity.

STAR Detector at RHIC

Ralph Lange — Tue, 21 May 2019 11:00:31 +0000

The STAR detector at Brookhaven National Lab specializes in tracking the thousands of particles produced by each ion collision at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

Weighing 1,200 tons and as large as a house, STAR consists mainly of 12 subsystems. It is used to search for signatures of the form of matter that RHIC was designed to create: the quark-gluon plasma (QGP).