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| LHC Operations Group | |
|---|---|
| Name | LHC Operations Group |
| Formation | 2008 |
| Headquarters | CERN, Meyrin |
| Region served | CERN |
| Leader title | Head of Operations |
| Parent organization | CERN |
LHC Operations Group
The LHC Operations Group is the operational unit at CERN responsible for running the Large Hadron Collider complex during machine development, commissioning, and physics periods. It interfaces with accelerator groups such as BE-OP, BE-CO, and technical services including CERN Engineering Department and CERN Safety Commission, coordinating resources with experimental collaborations like ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, and ALICE. The group works closely with institutions across Europe and worldwide, including Fermilab, DESY, INFN, IHEP, and KEK.
The group oversees real-time operation of the Large Hadron Collider ring, associated injectors such as the Proton Synchrotron and Super Proton Synchrotron, and interaction with detector facilities like LHCb and ALICE. It is embedded within the Accelerator Beam Operations structure of CERN and aligns its schedule with programmes managed by the CERN Directorate and the Research Board. Daily activity is coordinated with control centres such as the CERN Control Centre and with global partners including SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and TRIUMF.
The group is charged with executing machine cycles that deliver beams for experiments, coordinating with CERN Accelerator School training for operators and trainees. Core functions include beam commissioning for luminosity targets set by collaborations like ATLAS and CMS, performing machine studies in liaison with the Beam Instrumentation Group, and implementing run plans approved by the LHCC. It also contributes to long-term planning with stakeholders such as European Strategy for Particle Physics panels and the High-Luminosity LHC project office.
Membership comprises shift crews, beam operators, machine coordinators, and engineers seconded from partner laboratories including CERN Member State institutes such as CERN Council members and national laboratories like Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, CEA Saclay, and Paul Scherrer Institute. Leadership liaises with heads of divisions such as Accelerator and Technology Sector and collaborates with technical services like CERN IT Department and CERN Radiation Protection Group. The group integrates accelerator physicists who publish with venues like Physical Review Letters and engage with committees including the Machine Advisory Committee.
Daily operations follow procedures approved by the CERN Safety Commission and the LHC Coordination Committee, with run procedures documented in operation manuals used by the CERN Control Centre staff. Activities include beam injection from the LINAC chain, energy ramping, squeeze procedures for low-beta optics used by ATLAS and CMS, and luminosity levelling for experiments like LHCb. Coordination with cryogenics teams from the CERN Cryogenics Group is required for superconducting magnet operations, while vacuum interventions involve specialists from the Vacuum, Surfaces and Coatings Section. Post-run analysis interfaces with groups such as Beam Diagnostics and the Machine Protection Working Group.
Safety management adheres to rules set by the Meyrin Fire Brigade agreements and the European Radiation Protection Society guidelines when handling activation and beam losses. Reliability programs use fault reports fed into maintenance planning with the CERN Mechanical and Materials Engineering group and spare part policies influenced by suppliers including Siemens and Oxford Instruments. Magnet quenches are handled with procedures developed with the Cryogenics Division, and availability metrics are reviewed with stakeholders such as the Finance Committee when assessing downtime impact on collaborations like ALICE Collaboration.
The group maintains interfaces with the major experiments ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, LHCb and with experiments in the Injector chain such as ISOLDE. Coordination extends to detector operations groups, data acquisition teams affiliated with Worldwide LHC Computing Grid partners, and the CERN Safety Policy Unit. Run coordination includes representatives from the Physics Department and detector run coordinators who align physics priorities with machine availability and performance targets set in collaboration meetings like the LHC Physics Centre at CERN briefings.
Since first commissioning in 2008, operations have encompassed milestones such as first 3.5 TeV beams, the 2010 physics runs that enabled discoveries by ATLAS and CMS, and recovery from events like the 2008 quench incident involving superconducting splice failures addressed with lessons from High Energy Physics communities. Later upgrades include participation in preparation for the High-Luminosity LHC upgrade following recommendations by the European Strategy Group and coordination during technical stops with teams from European XFEL and national labs like GSI Helmholtz Centre. The group’s operational records are discussed at conferences such as International Particle Accelerator Conference and published in journals like Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research.