The MPE group is part of CERN’s Technology Department (TE) and is responsible for the magnet protection systems and machine interlocks for the CERN accelerator complex. The MPE group supports the operation of CERN’s accelerators by developing, maintaining and operating state‐of‐the art hardware and software technologies for magnet circuit protection and interlock systems for present and future accelerators, magnet test facilities and several CERN hosted experiments.

The group furthermore includes a section devoted to the technical coordination role in the domain of activities related to the integration, installation, commissioning and operation of the Inner Triplet String Facility within the framework of the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) Project.

The MPE group is involved in several transversal projects across the accelerator sector, providing expertise in a wide range of areas including machine protection, electronics and electrical engineering, reliability engineering, controls and software technologies as well as the operation and performance analysis of superconducting magnet circuits.

Responsibilities include amongst others:

• The magnet protection systems and machine interlocks for the CERN accelerator complex, including design, construction and exploitation.
• The magnet circuit performance evaluation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
• The coordination of the machine protection systems in the accelerator complex and specific studies related to beam failure scenarios.
• The coordination of the Inner Triplet String installation as part of the HL-LHC Project, ensuring that procedures, test program and documentation are prepared timely and that the facility is equipped in accordance to the specificities of the measurements and experiments to be conducted.
• The operation of the LHC electrical distribution feed-boxes (DFBs), superconducting links and their auxiliary equipment.
• The electrical integrity of superconducting magnet circuits of LHC and HL-LHC, conducting an electrical quality assurance programme (ELQA) consisting of electrical diagnostics and interventions performed during accelerator operation and technical stops.
• Application of best practices in terms of reliability engineering, following state-of-the-art technologies and further development of the knowledge for the design, construction and operation of failsafe and reliable accelerator protection systems, including studies of accelerator availability in general.