1. Synchronization issues
Imre Kiss# #
White-Rabbit Workshop
6-7 October, 2014, Geneva

2. Expectation for a timing system

3. Coordinate timed events
Top level time coordination is “campaign management”

4. Expectation for a timing system
Multiple timed events happening simultaneously
Single common ‘heartbeat’ for facility (?)
A global model of timing is suitable for ALPS
No ‘epochs’ or ‘coincidence detection’ (SeSo?)
Single master frequency source
Events coordinated to absolute time only (?)
Secondary references - cascaded delay generators (?)

5. Global model of timing

6. Coordinate timed events
Top level time coordination is “campaign management”

7. Coordinate timed events
Campaign timing finalised e.g., on a weekly
basis by facility operations director
Predefined time window scheduled
Predefined configuration of which lasers will
be operational for that time window
Lasers know beforehand
how they should be configured
when they should up and running

8. Coordination via system state machine

9. Coordination via timed events

10. Extreme Light Infrastructure Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS)

11. ELI-ALPS Attosecond user facility

12. Integrating safety systems

13. Equipment Control group in view of the command and control perspective

14. Control System Overview
- details

15. Overview of Timing Systems ▬ Synchronization
CS4000 freq. standard
Facility level coordination of experiments
e.g. PPS sync, 10 MHz, etc.
time stamping system
RF over optical
pulsed optical synchronization
accuracy
’ms ’us
’ns [’ps] accuracy
’ps accuracy
’fs accuracy
White Rabbit jitter ≤ 6 ps
Libera Sync jitter ≤ 30 ps
Menlo systems jitter ≤ 6.8 fs
N T P
(SW)
P T P
(HW)
lab jitter ≤ 13 as (!)
Idesta QE jitter ≤ 6.8 fs
WR ► RF jitter ≤ 30 ps
MRF jitter ≤ 8 ns
RF ◄ Pulsed jitter ≤ 6.8 fs
Greenfield jitter ≤ 8 ns

16. Three elements of synchronization*

17. Event driven timing scheme*
* MRF based solution as used in ELI-Beamlines

18. sub-ns precision electric time-stamping system based on White Rabbit /CERN/

19. White Rabbit (CERN, 7 Solutions)

20. White Rabbit (CERN, 7 Solutions)
Standard Ethernet network
Ethernet features (VLAN) & protocols (SNMP)
High accuracy synchronization
Reliable and low-latency control data

21. White Rabbit – a standard GBit network

22. White Rabbit – a precision synchronization tool

23. Expectations for a precision timing system

24. Precision timing systems RF and/or optical?
Alan Fry* conclusions, Workshop on fs-synchronization for ELI, 26 Feb 2014
Timing systems work differently in a lab than in a facility!
Always have a simple RF cable distribution system as a backup/reference (if not as the primary)
When possible measure relative pump/probe timing directly at the target; ultimately this is all that matters
Focus on reliability and uptime
local staff must be able to troubleshoot and fix problems
Understand requirements for experiments
is <10fs jitter needed for a 200fs laser pulse?
Understand entire system design and effects on timing
temperature, humidity, vibration, drift, etc.
Lots of exciting timing research!
Lots of boring (but necessary) engineering!
*Deputy Director, Laser Science & Technology Division, Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)

25. RF based timing system with optical correction
SLAC RF Cable System with Fiber Drift Correction*
* from Alan Fry, Workshop on fs-synchronization for ELI, (Prague, 26/02/2014)

26. RF vs optical comparison
LBNL fiber vs RF cable, independent detectors*
Ti:sapphire laser was stabilized with the LBNL system, timing measured with the RF cable system.
Drift was ~1ps over 2 days.
Indicates that both system are pretty good when they are working
* from Alan Fry, Workshop on fs-synchronization for ELI, (Prague, 26/02/2014)

27. RF over fiber E.g. Libera Sync 500:
Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), 500 MHz over fiber
E.g. Libera Sync 500:
„Can be used for distribution of high quality clock signal using optical fibers
Standard clock distribution from 50 to 500 meters, costumizable up to 2 km
2 hours warm-up time
SCADA system provided”

28. Femtosecond timing solutions

29. Menlo Systems Pulsed Timing Distribution System Applications
Menlo System’s timing system deployed at
Features
< 10 fs (rms) of jitter/drift
Remote controllable
Easy integration into control infrastructure
State-of-the-art synchronization technology
Includes our new modelock technology for low phase noise performance
Full customization
Modular design
Applications
RF or optical reference distribution
Local and remote oscillator synchronization
ultra-low noise RF synthesis
atto-second resolution laser synchronization

30. RMS drift over ten days: 5.3 fs rms
Menlo Systems
Optical-to-optical synchronization
RMS drift over ten days:
5.3 fs rms

31. Menlo Systems RF-to-optical synchronization Integrated timing jitter:
3.3 fs rms [10 Hz – 10 MHz]
Drift over eight hours:
1.9 fs (rms)

32. Idesta QE – Pulsed timing solutions

33. Idesta QE – BOM-PD Rugged, Fiber-based Construction
Temperature-Stabilized Enclosure
Replaces Photodetector-Based Synchronization Electronics
Timing Sensitivity up to 100s μV/fs
Suitable for Optical Wavelengths from nm

34. Idesta Quantum Electronics*
*from Franz Kärtner's presentation, ELI Timing Workshop, (Prague, 27/02/2014)

35. Idesta QE – BOC Balanced Optical Cross-Correlator (BOC)
Compact, Standalone Design Compatible with Free-Space or Fiber-Coupled Inputs
Timing Sensitivity up to 100s mV/fs
One and Two-Color Version Available
Application example:

36. Idesta Quantum Electronics*
*from Franz Kärtner's presentation, ELI Timing Workshop, (Prague, 27/02/2014)

37. Foreseeable future on synchronization

38. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!