Stage A: Initial commissioning to pilot physics

Aim: initial commissioning with the goal to bring moderate intensities into collision for the first time, including the the commissioning the LHC cycle with low intensity beam to high energy, and the move to two-beam operation. See Chamonix XIV presentation for outline.

We aim to minimize the risk of quenches (reduced beam current and possibly reduced energy); decouple the commissioning of the various systems; minimize the pile-up in the experiments; and maximize the integrated luminosity.

Phases - breakdown of the phases of the commissioning process with well-defined prerequisites and goals for each phase. The required functionality of the accelerator equipment and instrumentation for each is listed.
Breakdown in terms of estimated time of tasks making up the constituent phases

Stage A: How Long?

Assume we slice commissioning procedures to the minimum required to get 2 pilot++ beams to 3.5 TeV and collide them unsqueezed. From scratch (no sector test, no 450 GeV run):

	Phase	Schedule/Progress Notes	Ring factor	Total Time [days] both rings	Comments
A1	Injection and first turn	First turn	2	-	Time includes injection tests - take as given in 2009
A2	Circulating beam	Circ. beam	2	4
A3	450 GeV initial commissioning		2	4
A4	450 GeV optics measurements		2	2	Priority 1 measurements only
A6	450 GeV - two beams		1	1	Low intensity
A7	Collisions at 450 GeV		1	2	Performance Bring CMS solenoid on before - measure and correct coupling
A8	Snapback and ramp		2	6	Single and then two beams
A9	3.5 TeV flat top checks		2	1	Single beam initially, performed following successful ramp
A12	Commission experimental magnets			1
A10	Setup for collisions - 3.5 TeV		1	1
	Physics un-squeezed		1	-
	TOTAL to first collisions			22
A11	Commission squeeze		2	6
A5	Increase intensity		2	6
	Set-up physics - partially squeezed.		1	2
	Pilot physics run

We are assuming around 30 days of beam time to get first collisions. This will be followed by a period of pilot physics interleaved with further machine development.

TEVATRON

By way of comparison, the Tevatron when it started-up initially in fixed target mode way back when:

1 months from first injection to beam at 512 GeV [210 hours] - posted 210/720 hours or 29% operational efficiency
3 weeks beam measurements [165 hours/504] - 33% efficiency
2 months from first injection to resonant extraction. Several days to set-up extraction
42 days elapsed - 126 shifts - 1000 hours

RHIC:

First Physics - 2000 following "engineering run" in 1999.
• First beam April 3rd
• First successful ramp: June 1st
• First collisions June 12th
i.e. 2 and a half months for first collisions