fpFCT: with beam

A month a go I have work in simulate the beam of the storage ring by its bunches in the Fast Current Transformer (FCT). Well now we are in a run of 3 weeks (the operation calendar is available on the web site), and we can see the signal in the scope from the FCT and apply the algorithm developed in accelerators using the device server developer by the controls group.

To see those inputs and those outputs we need our Tango Graphical User Interface (GUI) called Taurus. And with a "simple" command line like:

$ taurusform sr/di/FillingPatternFCT-01/{nAcquisitions,StartingPoint,Threshold,ScaleH,OffsetH,TimingTrigger,resultingFrequency,FilledBunches,SpuriousBunches} sr02/di/sco-01/{Channel1,CurrentSampleRate,ScaleH,OffsetH} sr/di/FillingPatternFCT-01/{BunchIntensity,State,Status} &

This command line, looking so complicated is only listing all the attributes (and their sorting) to be set in a taurusform, by using a feature of bash to write the (almost) minimum.

For example, first parameter is: sr/di/FillingPatternFCT-01/{nAcquisitions,StartingPoint,Threshold,ScaleH,OffsetH,TimingTrigger,resultingFrequency,FilledBunches,SpuriousBunches} An this means to get from the device server sr/di/FillingPatternFCT-01, the attributes listed.

That command will open a small window like:

There are two button in the attribute space because they are 1D data (spectrum in tango), Clicking them a taurusplot will be launched for each. One for the FCT signal:

And another for the Bunch Intensity calculated:

With Taurus, it's so easy to have a little simple gui to start with. Also the General Taurus Gui is neither so difficult.

Brain drain

After many years working at Alba this January 2013 has exposed one of its biggest weakness: a brain drain. There is a general talk in the corridors of this excellence Scientific&Technician Singular installation, the number of people that is renouncing to the job to go to a better place.

In a place that work about 140 people, between the confirm number of people that say good bye and the rumours, there are between 9 and 14 people. And this is only this month! That is a coincidence, because the search for a new job is not a magical thing that happens fast. This people has been searching for a period of time and I can bet to say that others are on the way.

The trickle of people that renounce has been set almost constant this last years. Almost every month there where one or two that did a farewell celebration. In the past, when someone left, there where a diner with some of the coworkers. It was something special, it happens sporadically, but this last years this have become monotony, repetitive, a routine... Further than that, there where overlapped farewells.

I hope there will be someone thinking on the reasons of this and thinking in solutions for that... This is not the normal movement between research institutes. Many alba's workers have left to go work to the ITER, fusion4energy, cern, esrf, maxlab, desy, and others, but scientist, engineers or technicians from those places are not coming here!

Update 20130124: By today, the list of 9 people has been increased up to 11, and if the rumours are taken in the count the 14 raises up to 16.