The external proton beam lines and the splitter systems of the CERN SPS

The exploitation of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is based on two experimental areas, the West Area and the North Area. The West Area consists of the West Experimental Hall, fed by a slow ejected proton beam of 200 GeV/c maximum momentum and a Neutrino Facility which is fed by protons of 400 GeV/c. Several important detectors are installed in the West Area, the Omega spectrometer, the Big European Bubble Chamber and the heavy liquid bubble chamber Gargamelle. The North Area has been built for physics at 400 GeV/c. At present it consists of two experimental halls, a large multipurpose hall and a smaller hall dedicated to muon physics. The protons are extracted from the SPS in two of the six long straight sections (LSS) and are transported from the underground machine through a system of tunnels to the external targets. Both the beam lines to the West and North Area contain beam splitting stations which divide the slow extracted proton beam into three branches. (0 refs).