SSCL Commissioning and Operations

The SSC, with an energy of 20 TeV/Beam, requires a sequence of individual accelerators of increasing energy in the injector chain. These are the Linac, Low Energy Booster, Medium Energy Booster, and High Energy Booster. Each accelerator system must be completed in sequence in order to provide beam to the next higher energy accelerator. The collider itself is comprised of ten sectors, each of which in terms of superconducting magnet bending strength, is equivalent to two HEB injectors. The completion of all injectors and collider sectors is required before stored beams can circulate in preparation for colliding beam operation. Four experimental halls are planned for the detector systems. Each major detector will be assembled in one of the halls by a world-wide collaboration of scientists. In addition, above ground facilities provide shops and test facilities for accelerator technical systems, superconducting magnet and materials research and development, and for detector assembly and operations. The purpose of this report is to present a plan for the sequential commissioning and operation of these individual accelerators and other technical facilities of the SSC. A central objective of this plan is to describe the activities at the SSCL that are not included as part of the construction project TPC, even though they occur during the overall project construction time-frame. Examples of such activities include the operation of general laboratory facilities and services not specifically related to construction, the operating costs for the individual accelerators in the injector chain once these facilities have been commissioned, and the costs of SSCL physics research groups. The Department of Energy has provided the following decision with regard to these operations categories for the SSCL