Control problems in very large accelerators

There is no fundamental difference of kind in the control requirements between a small and a large accelerator since they are built of the same types of components, which individually have the same types of control inputs and outputs. The main difference is one of scale; the large machine has many more components of each type, and the distances involved are much greater. It is the purpose of this paper to look at the special control problems of large accelerators, which I shall arbitrarily define as those with a length or circumference in excess of 10 km, and point out where special developments, or the adoption of developments from outside the accelerator control field, can be of assistance in minimizing the cost of the control system