Air-Filled Ion Chamber Beam Loss Monitors for the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS)

Small, air-filled, ion chambers have been constructed to serve as localized beam spill monitors. They are mounted at the downstream end of each straight section of the ring and are useful for locating beam obstructions and for finding spills due to abnormal machine adjustment. The chamber is made up of thin aluminum sheets with mylar insulation and is enclosed in a lucite box. No preamplifier is used, but the signals are transported to the Main Control Room (MCR) via RG-22/U shielded pair to maintain good SNR. A central 300 V power supply provides ion collection potential for all eight chambers. The signals are processed for individual and multiplexed monitoring.