Infrastructure

Responsible: GSI

Contact person: Daniel Körper

 

General Information

The R3B experimental setup is situated in the High-Energy Cave (HEC) located at the final focal plane of the Super-FRS. For successful performance during R3B experiments, several components are mandatory:

Infrastructure plays a vital role; without proper infrastructure systems in HEC, the setup cannot be operational. The development of these systems builds upon long-standing experience with the infrastructure in Cave C at GSI. While some components have been improved, others have been newly defined and developed.
The new infrastructure system will not only support standard R3B devices but will also serve as a basis for external groups to integrate their specialized devices and detector systems when needed. The local R3B group at FAIR/GSI under the guidance of Daniel Körper leads the provision, operation, and coordination of this standard system.

Infrastructure Concept

The various infrastructure components are briefly described below. For further technical details, please refer to the dedicated Technical Design Report or contact Daniel Körper.

Detector Support System

A sophisticated rail system has been developed to allow rapid positioning of different detector systems. Precise definition and construction of the support frame are especially critical in front of the GLAD magnet. This frame supports and carries equipment such as vacuum chambers, detectors, the target chamber including its target-handling system and the target-recoil detector. The support structure spans a length of 8 m from the entrance of HEC up to the GLAD entrance. Special rails are mounted on top of the frame, enabling easy movement and exact positioning of equipment. Built using modular framing systems, the support structure offers fast and easy modification for integrating various componentsa design successfully proven in Cave C.

Jib Crane

A large part of HEC is covered by the primary overhead crane; however, due to the cave's geometry, it cannot fully cover the entrance area. Therefore, a 250-degree rotating jib crane will be installed in the reaction-target area to cover the zone around the gate valve missed by the overhead crane. Moreover, synchronized operation of both cranes will facilitate the manipulation of long components. Specific procedures have also been developed and tested for handling heavy components, such as lifting and rotating the CALIFA detector.

Laser Alignment System

For precise alignment of experimental components, a self-leveling precision line-laser alignment system will be utilized. For the HEC, which has overall dimensions of 60 x 21 x 8 m3 , a combination of 13 permanently installed line lasers is required:

  • Sidewalls: 8 horizontal red cross-light lasers (4 on each side) covering the horizontal plane at a beam height of 2 m.
  • Ceiling: 5 vertical green-light lasers covering the vertical plane through the beam axis.

All lasers can be operated remotely.

Precision Measurements and Scanning Devices

Due to different experimental demands, setup configurations will frequently change. Therefore, in addition to the fixed alignment system, a system capable of precisely measuring detector positions and geometry is foreseen for HEC, utilizing:

  • Tachymeter: A mobile measuring device allowing fast and easy distance and angle measurements of characteristic points on the R3B equipment.
  • Scan Station: Used to measure detailed detector geometry to within a precision of 1 mm, utilizing commercial laser scanning systems that automatically capture surroundings and generate 3D point clouds with color information.
  • Survey and Alignment Group: For high-precision requirements down to the 0.05 mm scale, we will draw upon the expertise of the in-house Survey and Alignment group.

Cryogenic Infrastructure

During the initial phase of the R3B setup in HEC, the final-focusing long multiplet at the entrance of the cave and the GLAD magnet will be supplied with liquid/cold hydrogen via cryogenic infrastructure. The HEC cryogenic system connects to the Super-FRS helium-cryogenics installation through several components: a valve feed box, a flexible transfer line compatible with both GLAD rotation configurations, and warm GHe connection lines. More details on these components can be found in the Technical Design Report.

Gas and Water Routing

Different components of the R3B setup require supplies of compressed air, cooling water, liquid nitrogen, and technical gases. Detailed planning and installation of distribution lines from transfer and sampling points to individual R3B components are mandatory for operation.

Water Cooling System

For cooling of sensitive devices, a dedicated cooling system capable of regulating water pressure, flow rate, and temperature is required, utilizing a heat exchange station with a secondary water cycle. For this system to be functional, detailed planning and installation of distribution lines from transfer and sampling points to different R3B components is mandatory. 

Gas Mixture Station and Gas Analyzer

To operate gaseous detectors within the R3B setup, an on-site gas-mixing system capable of handling four different high-purity gases with high precision is integrated. The system can be controlled both remotely and locally via a multifunction LCD display on the gas station.

Gas Warning System

To detect gas leaks, a warning system comprising a central control unit, gas-measuring cells, and alarm signaling devices is installed. The system monitors oxygen, hydrogen, methane, and isobutane using a combination of fixed and mobile sensors deployed at strategic locations.

Electrical Power Supply

Initially, 150 kW of electrical power will be distributed to HEC. From the transfer point onward, power is split into two distinct networks:

  • Machine Network: Dedicated to operating heavy equipment such as vacuum pumps and cryogenic compressors.
  • Clean Power Network: Dedicated to supplying detector electronics and data acquisition hardware.

Power distribution inside HEC is realized via 12 power boxes  - 6 dedicated to the machine network and 6 to the clean power network.

Cable Management

Multi-level cable trays and patch panels ensure that all necessary signals are routed reliably between different parts of the setup. Cable trays are installed at beam-line height for efficient and safe cable handling, using a multi-level design to separate different cable types and minimize crosstalk. Patch panels are installed in five locations, each linked back to a central location.

Experiment Networking Hardware

A fast and reliable network infrastructure is mandatory for R3B operations. Reflecting the modularity of the detection system, the network hardware is equally flexible. To separate experimental control data from high-throughput data traffic, two independent Ethernet networks are established:

  • Detector Positions: Equipped per location with two 32-port Gigabit Ethernet switches (10 Gbit upstream) and eight SFP+ modules.
  • R3B Computing Center: Equipped with two 10 Gbit Ethernet switches featuring 40 Gbit upstream capacity (16 x 10 Gbit ports each), 32 SFP+ modules, and 8 QSFP+ modules.

Analog Pulse Distribution System

To test the complete electronics chain, clock/trigger distribution systems, and data acquisition framework prior to beam operation, a set of connected analog pulse generators is deployed. These generators inject test pulses mimicking real detector signals directly into the front-end electronics and are positioned close to each detector system to minimize pulse degradation over long cables.

Experiment Control Hardware

The experiment control infrastructure comprises:

  • Experiment Control Computing: Centralized computing resources, including redundant compute nodes running the EPICS control system for automated monitoring and data logging.
  • Experimental Control Storage: Redundant storage ensuring uninterrupted data logging and availability even if central FAIR storage servers are temporarily unavailable.
  • Remotely Controlled Power Distribution: AC power distribution hardware enabling remote power switching for readout PCs, front-end electronics, clock/trigger distribution hardware, and DC low-voltage power supplies via Ethernet connections.

 


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