How to ...

How to ...

Mount an experiment at TRIUMF

Before an experiment can be mounted at TRIUMF, it must be evaluated, approved and granted beam time. TRIUMF’s Science Division requires that detailed information regarding the preparation and running of experiments be provided as part of formal experimental proposal. TRIUMF has three Experimental Evaluation Committees (EEC) to evaluate such proposals in the fields of Subatomic Physics (SAP-EEC), Molecular and Materials Science (MMS-EEC), and Life Sciences (LSPEC). Calls for proposals are typically issued twice a year for consideration at EEC meetings in mid-summer and early December. Announcements of upcoming EEC meetings and calls for proposals can be found on TRIUMF's Experimental Progam web site.

Propose an experiment

• Obtain an experiment number or letter of intent number (SAP-EEC only) from Science Division
• Prepare a submission using the tools in TRIUMF's online experiments database
• Submit the proposal or letter of intent to the appropriate EEC

Experiment proposals and, in the case of the SAP-EEC, letters of intent are managed electronically through TRIUMF's online experiments database. An experiment or letter of intent number is needed to access the database and prepare a submission. The call for proposals or LoI is generally issued 8—10 weeks in advance of an EEC meeting with a submission deadline 4—6 weeks in advance of the meeting. Spokespersons should be prepared to make a 15—20 minute presentation in support of their proposal and to submit their slides to the EEC the week of the meeting.

Full details of the proposal process, including links to document templates, are available here: How to Submit a Proposal

The option of submitting a letter of intent to the SAP-EEC was announced on September 1, 2011. The memo describing the revised process is here (PDF, 123 kB). TSOP-07, "Approval of Experiments", will be revised to reflect the new process.

Request beam time

• Submit a request for beam time
• Submit a Safety Analysis Report for review

Unlike many labs, TRIUMF does not continuously schedule experiments. Instead, several months’ worth of experiments spanning a single running period are scheduled at one time. There are typically two running periods each year, one from April through early September and a second from late September through December. A call for requests for beam time is generally issued by the Science Division 8—10 weeks prior to the start of a running period. Like proposals and letters of intent, requests for beam time are submitted electronically. Because of the limited number of shifts available during each running period, it is not always possible to accommodate every experiment for which beam time is requested. While the scientific priorities set by the EEC serve as a guide, final scheduling decisions may depend on other factors such as target or equipment availability.

Instructions for requesting beam time can be found here: Request Beam Time

Safety approval is required before an experiment can take beam. To streamline the submission process, a Safety Analysis Report (SAR) should be submitted as part of the request for beam time. These reports should be submitted directly to TRIUMF's Science Division and will be reviewed by TRIUMF staff. In many cases, the written report will be sufficient for review and approval; however, in certain cases it may be necessary to schedule a formal review with the spokesperson or a designate. Once an experiment is approved, a Safety Review Completion Document will be prepared by TRIUMF staff. Having safety reports in hand prior to scheduling helps TRIUMF ensure that experiments can be carried out in a timely fashion.

The safety review process is described in TRIUMF Safety Note 3.2.1, "Safety Approval for Experiments at TRIUMF" (PDF, 131 KB). Information on the preparation of Safety Analysis Reports is available in TSN 3.3.1, "Guidelines for Preparing a Safety Report for Experiments at TRIUMF" (PDF, 134 KB).

Run an experiment

• Prepare the experiment facility
• Prepare the experiment equipment
• Submit a Beam Properties Request to Operations (two weeks in advance for ISAC experiments; 24 hours in advance for all others)
• Meet with Beam Delivery to establish a run plan (ISAC only at this time)

Experimenters should prepare to be on site in advance of their experiment. If it involves a standing setup at an existing facility, a few days may be sufficient to ensure devices are tested and calibrated prior to running. For new setups or facilities, several weeks’ presence may be required. This should be arranged with the facility coordinator and any local collaborators.

TRIUMF engineering (and other) resources may be needed for either facility infrastructure or experiment-specific equipment. The processes associated with the use of TRIUMF resources are described in TSOP-06, "Engineering Design, Manufacture and Assembly". TRIUMF's Quality Management System (QMS) dictates that these be documented and executed according to defined procedures. As of January 2012, TRIUMF uses a centralized work request system to manage requests for support from all engineering groups; this will eventually be extended to all support groups on site. A link to that system can be found here.

A Beam Properties Request (BPR) will be required by Operations. This is essentially the license to run – without a BPR, no beam will be delivered to an experiment. Safety approval is also required prior to beam delivery. This will take the form of a TRIUMF Safety Review Completion Document prepared by a representative of TRIUMF's Environment Health and Safety group and signed by the head of Science Division (or a designate). ISAC BPR's are required two weeks in advance (as they include detailed information about run plans, etc.) while cyclotron BPR's are required 24 hours in advance. Links to blank forms are available here.

For ISAC experiments, representatives from TRIUMF’s Beam Delivery Group will meet with the spokesperson and/or designates one to two weeks prior to an experiment to discuss beam requirements (from the BPR) and assist with detailed run planning. Despite the lab’s best efforts, downtime – for maintenance, target changes, etc. – that was not foreseen during the scheduling process may be required during the course of a run. The Group will identify potential interruptions so that the experimenters can plan accordingly. A liaison will also be assigned at this point to assist the spokesperson and designates. Documents generated during this process – run plans, detailed scheduling calendars, etc. – are maintained on TRIUMF's documents server. Links are available here.

During the run, the spokesperson (or a designate) is expected to serve as the main point of contact for the experiment. If a beam liaison has been assigned, he/she will serve as the primary contact for Operations and the lab. It is important that there be a single, well-defined line of communication between the experiment and TRIUMF. In the absence of a liaison, direct communication between the spokesperson and Operations is encouraged; however, the liaison will still attempt to stay abreast of the experiment’s progress and intervene as necessary. The spokesperson or a designate will report on any operational or beam delivery issues at the weekly lab-wide beam delivery meeting (Mondays, 11:00 in the Auditorium). Participation in this meeting is expected, even if no problems have been encountered. For experiments at ISAC, the spokesperson or a designate will also be expected to discuss the experiment and its progress at the fortnightly ISAC Science Forum (Wednesdays, 15:15 in the ISAC-II Conference Room).

Close out an experiment

• Back up data
• Perform calibrations and background checks
• Dismount the experiment
• Meet with Beam Delivery
• Provide feedback

Once the experiment is complete, it is the users’ responsibility to ensure all data are properly backed up. Experiments should be dismounted as promptly as possible to allow preparations for following experiments to begin. Experimenters should prepare to remain on site while this work is done. For standing setups, a few days may be sufficient for final calibrations and background checks. If equipment is to be torn down (or torn down and prepared for shipping), several weeks may be required. As with mounting an experiment, the dismounting of equipment or electronics should be arranged with the facility coordinator and any local collaborators.

Following any experiment, representatives from the Beam Delivery Group will be available to meet with the spokesperson and/or designates for a discussion of beam delivery or other issues that may have arisen. All ISAC users are asked to complete a post-run feedback form as part of our ongoing effort to improve support for experiments at ISAC.