1982 - 1996 LEAR: Low Energy Antiproton Ring.
Built in 1982, The Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) decelerated and stored antiprotons for various experiments throughout its 14 year lifetime.
Background Image: LEAR in 1983 shortly after the start of its particle physics programme.
1982:
The photo shows the vacuum chamber installation in to one of the four main magnet.
The free space in the middle of the block was left to offer room for an internal target in the magnet. This possibility was never exploited. Instead it is used here, to accommodate a pumping port for the high vacuum system.
1990: The Jetset detector on the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR), involving an internal gas jet target surrounded by a compact general-purpose detector.
View into the control room of the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR).
LEAR in its early years (1982 to about 1990) was run from this local control room in building 363 close to where the ring was installed. Later-on the operation was surveyed from the PS main control room.
1995/6:.
Professor Walter Oelert, leader of the team which created the first atoms of antihydrogen at the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) in January 1996
2003:
In 1993, some 3 years before the end of LEAR, it was proposed to convert the machine in to LEIR.
In 2003 dismantling began and everything except for the four main bend magnets were removed and where possible refurbished for use in the new LEIR machine
March 2005:
The refurbishment and conversion of LEAR took over two years before the LEIR machine was complete.
October 2005 - ?
Following it's conversion, LEIR recorded it's first beam in October of 2005.
Since then, the main operations of the machine moved to the Cern Control Center in 2006 and the machine has been upgraded to provide beam for the Hi-Lumi LHC.