CUPID: new system for scintillating screens based diagnostics

The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) with its wide range of beam parameters poses new challenges for standard beam instrumentation like precise beam imaging. To cover the various foreseen applications for standard scintillating screen based diagnostics, a new technical solution was required. CUPID (Control Unit for Profile and Image Data) is a new system for scintillating screen imaging, which is based on the data acquisition framework for FAIR. It includes digital image acquisition, remote control of the optical system (focus and iris; camera setup and power) and a graphical user interface (GUI). CUPID is also designed to work with different imaging devices like GigE cameras or video cameras using frame grabber cards. In this paper we report on the first results with this novel system during routine beam operation. For imaging applications in the high radiation environment of the heavy ion synchrotrons radiation-hard cameras are required. One possible candidate for such cameras at FAIR is the CCIR MegaRAD3 from Thermo Fischer Scientific. We describe here our first results with this camera, which has been installed at the SIS18 extraction point, where a high radiation level is present.