HEARTS@CERN

Beam time estimation


Within the HEARTS@CERN team and facility, we aim to accommodate any beam parameter changes as quickly as possible from the facility control room, carried out by HEARTS@CERN operators. However, a few changes (changing to very high or very low flux) or a change in primary beam energy (to go from/to the lowest LET point) requires communication with the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) control room. The HEARTS@CERN facility takes beam from CERN’s PS accelerator which also acts as an injector to the SPS and LHC accelerators. When these machines require dedicated beam, the amount of spills delivered to HEARTS@CERN can be momentarily less (e.g. one spill every ~20 seconds in average, as opposed to every ~10 seconds). Both this and unforeseen machine downtime will be taken into account by the HEARTS@CERN operators, granting you extended beam time as compensation if needed. Beam parameters and time considerations are made based on the experience, beam offer scenario and technical constraints in 2024. Changes for HEARTS@CERN 2025 are possible and will be readily updated on this webpage.

Please consider the following constraints when you calculate the desired amount of beam time in HEARTS@CERN:

  • Time required to setup your test equipment inside the facility.
  • The amount of devices you want to test, how often you would like to enter the facility and switch devices. From our experience: please consider for each access 30 to 45 minutes at least.
  • Access inside the facility itself can happen within 10 minutes but requires remote intervention from the main CERN control room. The access requires switching on and (re-)initializing an active dosimeter.
  • Movements of the XY movable stage between any two points within the irradiation area can done within one minute.
  • For each device, consider the fluence needed to complete a full irradiation and the amount of times you would like to repeat a certain test.
  • Please consider to receive one 1s beam spill on the test device every 10 to 15 seconds.
  • The flux of each spill can be requested between 102 and 105 ions/cm2/spill readily. Depending on the beam LET required, switching to very low flux (102 and less), or very high flux (105 and above) can take up to 5 minutes.
  • Switch from/to an LET of 12 to 17 takes up to 5 minutes (to change primary beam energy).
  • Any switch from one LET to another above 17 can happen within 10 seconds.
  • Change of beam irradiation area (2.5×2.5, 5×5 or 7.5×7.5 cm2) can happen within 10 seconds.
  • Switching the beam off or on can happen within 10s of seconds.
Please use this open-access publication to reference the HEARTS project:
R. García Alía et al., "The HEARTS EU Project and its Initial Results on Fragmented High-Energy Heavy Ion Single Event Effects Testing", in IEEE TNS, doi:10.1109/TNS.2025.3530502.

The HEARTS project is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101082402, through the Space Work Programme of the European Commission.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.