The development of accurate computer control of a 3 MV Van de Graaff accelerator operation is described. The developed system comprises the accelerator turn-on and turn-off procedures during a normal run, which includes the setting of the terminal voltage, ion source light up, beam focusing and control of ion beam current and energy during operation. In addition, the computer monitors the vacuum and is able to make a detail register of the most important events during a normal run. The computer control system uses a LabVIEW application for interaction with the operator and an I/O board that interfaces the computer and the accelerator system. For everyday operating conditions the control implemented is able to turn-on and off the machine in about the same time as a specialized technician. In addition, today more users can make experiments in the accelerator without the help of a specialized operator, which in turns increases the number of hours during which the accelerator can be used.

Quality of electric current delivered to the magnets of a particle accelerator is essential for safety and reliability of its operation. Even small discrepancies strongly affect the properties of particle beams. One of the sources of the disturbances is the appearance of induced currents caused by the electromagnetic interactions between the elements of the machine. In this paper the calculations of induced currents in by-pass lines of a SIS100 particle accelerator are presented. In order to find the values of the currents the self-inductances and mutual inductances of the by-pass lines are found. Due to the complex geometry of the line, especially of Ω-shaped dilatations, the numerical approach was employed. The calculations show that the size of induced currents increases with the distance between the cables in an individual bus-bar. The maximum discrepancy of the magnetic field in a dipole magnet is found to be 7.7 μT. The decrease of distance between the cables allows one to obtain a discrepancy of 1.2 μT.

Sections of the superconducting magnets of the SIS100 particle accelerator, under construction at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), the Society for Heavy Ion Research (GSI), Darmstadt, are going to be connected with the by-pass lines. Each line will be used to transfer a two-phase helium flow and an electric current. The electric current will be carried by four pairs of superconducting Nuclotron-type cables. Fast-ramping currents are expected to cause the generation of heat within the cables. In this work the results of a numerical thermal analysis of a bus-bar are presented. The amount of heat transferred from the environment was found based on geometric dimensions of the line and applied insulation. The amount of hysteresis loss, generated in the cable during the operation under most demanding regime of the operation of the accelerator, was calculated. According to the amount of the generated heat, the amount of the hysteresis loss is low in relation to the heat generated in the superconducting magnets. Also it was found that the cable used in the line still retains a large margin of current-carrying capacity.

On 2-3 May 2022 ARIES – Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society held its last annual conference in CERN summarizing 6 year long effort on the smart development of particle accelerator infrastructures in Europe. The whole series of Integrating Activities on accelerator infrastructures started in 2003 with preparations of CARE, then followed by EuCARD, TIARA, EuCARD2 and culminating with ARIES.

CERN hosted on May 2-6, 2022, the first annual meeting of the H2020 I.FAST project to support innovation in the field of science and technology of particle accelerators. The project has a completely different character from its predecessors in this area of research. It was approved for implementation a year ago by the EC with the highest marks. It is worth looking at why projects such as ARIES, I.FAST and EURO-LABS are so easily accepted. This alleged ease of acceptance is an appearance. Behind the acceptance, in conditions of extremely tough competition, is the excellent organization of the submitting community that has been developed over the years, as well as the perfect, well-thought-out preparation of the material. The author, a participant in the ARIES and other EC projects in the field of particle accelerator science and technology, presents here, on specific examples, his subjective opinions on how to prepare materials for high-output projects for the EC FP. The author hopes that these remarks may be useful in the process of submitting research projects from Poland in international cooperation to the EC in the best possible way. The science and technology of particle accelerators is an excellent area of showing such examples because it is interdisciplinary and includes the following components: building of research infrastructure, applied physics, mechatronics, materials engineering, automation and robotics, electronics, ICT, innovation, cooperation with industry, and social.

The ILC is an immense e+e- machine planned since 2004 by a large international collaboration, to be potentially built in Japan [1]. The gigantic size of the whole research infrastructure, the involved human, technical and financial resources, and the pressure of new emerging and potentially soon to be competitive accelerator technologies, make the final building decision quite difficult. A vivid debate is carried on this subject globally by involved accelerator research communities. The European voice is very strong and important in this debate, and has recently been essentially refreshed by clear statements in a few official documents [2]. The final HEP European Strategy Document is just under preparation. This paper is a very modest and subjective voice in this debate originating from Poland, which around 50 researchers are present at the list of 2400 signatories for the original ILC TDR document published in 2013 [3].