Real-time observation of dynamic floor motion of the KEKB injector linac with a laser-based alignment system

A new remote-controllable sensing system for a laser-based alignment system is in development to measure slow dynamic displacements of the tunnel floor in real time at the KEKB injector linac. Although the injector linac had initially been aligned with a laser-based alignment system, we have found that, based on recent real-time observations, the transverse displacements of the tunnel floor to the laser axis caused by dynamic ground motion are not negligibly small compared with the required alignment tolerance, in terms of the straightness of the beam line. Based on spatial and temporal cross-correlation analyses performed using displacement vectors from data recorded during a nearly eight-month period, it was found that the tunnel floor moves coherently in space and time domains over the entire length of the linac on average over long periods of time, while the cross-correlation function varies irregularly and complexly over shorter periods of time. This report describes in detail the basic design, experimental results, and present status of the new remote-sensing system for real-time alignment observations at the KEKB injector linac.