[en] A laser wire ion beam profile monitor system has been developed at the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator complex. The laser wire system uses a single laser source to measure the horizontal and vertical profiles of a pulsed hydrogen ion (H^-) beam along a 230 m long superconducting linac, which accelerates H^- from 200 MeV to 1 GeV. In this paper, we describe the laser optics requirement for the system, the performance of the profile measurement, and the effects of laser parameters on the measurement reliability. The result provides a practical guideline for the development of a large-scale, operational, laser-based diagnostics in accelerator facilities.

[en] A laser wire system has been developed in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) superconducting linac (SCL). The SNS laser wire system has a capability of measuring profiles of an operational hydrogen ion beam at 9 cryomodule stations along the SCL by using a single light source. This talk reports our recent study of the laser wire profile measurement performance. Parasitic profile measurements have been conducted at multiple locations of SCL on an operational one-megawatt neutron production beam that SNS recently achieved as a new world record. We will also discuss novel beam diagnostics capabilities at the SNS SCL by using the laser wire system.

[en] A high peak-power Q-switched laser has been used to monitor the ion beam profiles in the superconducting linac at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The laser beam suffers from position drift due to movement, vibration, or thermal effects on the optical components in the 250-meter long laser beam transport line. We have designed, bench-tested, and implemented a beam position stabilization system by using an Ethernet CMOS camera, computer image processing and analysis, and a piezo-driven mirror platform. The system can respond at frequencies up to 30 Hz with a high position detection accuracy. With the beam stabilization system, we have achieved a laser beam pointing stability within a range of 2 rad (horizontal) to 4 rad (vertical), corresponding to beam drifts of only 0.5 mm 1 mm at the furthest measurement station located 250 meters away from the light source.

[en] The new SNS Allison emittance scanner measures emittances of 65 kV ion beams over a range of +/- 116 mrad. Its versatile control system allows for time-dependent emittance measurements using an external trigger to synchronize with pulsed ion beam systems. After an adjustable initial delay, the system acquires an array of equally-delayed beam current measurements, each averaged over a certain time span, where all three time parameters are user selectable. The zero offset of the beam current measurements is determined by averaging a fraction of 1 ms shortly before the start of the ion beam pulse. This paper discusses the optimization of the angular range. In addition it presents the first results and reports an unresolved artefact. Data are presented on the time evolution of emittance ellipses during 0.8 ms long H- beam pulses emerging from the SNS test LEBT, which is important for loss considerations in the SNS accelerator. Additional data explore the emittance growth observed with increasing beam current and/or increasing RF-power.

[en] In recent years, a number of laser based H- beam diagnostics systems have been developed in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). This talk reviews three types of laser-based diagnostics at SNS: the laser wire profile monitors at superconducting linac (SCL), the laser based transverse emittance measurement system at high energy beam transport (HEBT), and the laser bunch shape monitor at medium energy beam transport (MEBT). Measurement performance will be reported and major technical challenges in the design, implementation, and operation of the laser based diagnostics at accelerator facilities will be addressed.