Design and commissioning of SHINE timing system

Abstract The Shanghai High Repetition Rate XFEL and Extreme Light Facility (SHINE) is currently under construction as one of the world’s most advanced hard X-ray free-electron laser facilities. The timing system, as an essential part of the free-electron laser facility, provides precise timing of trigger pulse signals for a range of devices to ensure that particles are generated and accelerated to the designed energy while enabling the precise measurement of beam parameters. To precisely distribute and synchronize the 1.003086 MHz (1300/1296) timing signals over a distance of approximately 3.1 km based on White Rabbit technology, three technical routes have been proposed. This paper begins with a description of the design and development process of the timing system for the SHINE project, which culminates with the determination of the design scheme. During the installation and commissioning of the timing system, the jitter accuracy of the timing signal was tested and found to be less than 10 ps, which meets the requirements of the project. Furthermore, the precise clock synchronization signal provided by the timing system supported the joint debugging of various related systems and realization of beam acquisition.