Nusano 2026
Fast Beam Interlocks on an Event-Based Timing System
An IPAC'26 paper from my control-systems work at Nusano, built on a concept I originated — consolidating fast beam-interlock (machine protection) logic directly into an event-based timing system, so the existing fiber timing network carries interlock data alongside device triggers.
- Particle Accelerator
- Control Systems
- Machine Protection
- Timing Systems
- Firmware
Part of my control-systems work at Nusano, where we build the particle accelerator that industrializes medical radioisotope production. The paper — coauthored with the team at Cosylab and Nusano — grew out of a concept I originated: integrating fast beam interlocks (the machine-protection logic that trips the beam to keep the accelerator and its operators safe) directly into an event-based timing system.
Rather than running machine protection as a separate parallel system, the interlock signals are consolidated into the timing system’s firmware, letting the existing fiber timing network carry interlock data alongside the device triggers it already distributes — fewer moving parts, tighter latency, and a single coherent layer for both timing and protection.
Citation
L. Perusko, T. Zagar, A. Debenjak, Z. Oven, E. Harms Jr., L. Szeto, and J. Ringuette, “Integrating Fast Beam Interlocks into an Event-Based Timing System,” paper WEP6140, in Proc. 17th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf. (IPAC’26), Deauville, France, May 2026.
Presented at the 17th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC’26), held 17–22 May 2026 in Deauville, France.