Fermilab History and Archives Project

Fermilab History and Archives Project

Accelerator History - From the Main Ring to the Energy Doubler

Linac

• Historical moment at NAL (April, 1969)
• Linac achieves highest proton beam energy in U.S. (August, 1970)
  
• NAL Linac achieves full design energy of 200 MeV (December, 1970)
  

Booster

• Booster Section gets a "Big Boost" (March, 1970)
  
• First NAL cooling pond becomes operational (August, 1970)
  
• First quarter of Booster is powered (August, 1970)
• Booster Installs Last of 96 Magnets
  
• Booster achieves full design beam energy of eight BeV (June, 1971)
  

Main Ring

• NAL starts work on Main Ring enclosure (October, 1969)
• The Gazebo (November, 1969)
  
• The Main Ring falls into place (April, 1970)
  
• Main Ring's final pre-cast section lowered into place (December, 1970)
  
• Final Main Ring magnet installation day and night task (April, 1971)
  
• Proton beam guided through entire NAL accelerator system (July, 1971)
  
• Main Ring staff works around-the-clock to tune accelerator (August, 1971)
  
• NAL accelerator reaches design energy (March, 1972)
  
• "NAL in transition" - Boyce McDaniel (May, 1972)
  
• 5th Anniversary. Recalling December 1, 1968... and The Interim... December, 1973...
  
• 0.5 TeV (May, 1976)
  
  
  

Beam Controls

• NAL group builds successful beam monitor system (December, 1971)
  
• Meet the NAL accelerator operators (February, 1972)
  
• NAL beam headed toward experimental areas (April, 1972)
  
• Switchyard group readies 3-way split (February, 1973)
  

Main Ring Transition to Energy Doubler/Saver

• RRW: "Energy Doubler" appears to be feasible concept (March, 1971)
  
• Colliding beams at Fermilab? (March, 1976)
  
• New milestones in Doubler progress (April, 1976)
  
• POPAE colliding beam design study announced (June, 1976)
  
• Saver/Doubler refrigerators tested (February, 1977)
  
• Flying Fermilab skies (March, 1977)
  
• Energy Doubler reaches new milestone (April, 1977)
  
• Success! Prototype magnet passes test (June, 1977)
  
• A challenge met (July, 1977)
  
• Laying cable at a 5,000-foot-per-day clip! (August, 1977)
  
• Accelerator down, construction up (August, 1977)
  
• Accelerator upgrading , Part II (September, 1977)