Modified Commands and Bug Fixes to Commands

• amplification_factors
  • Now sets all correctors to zero before computing a new amplification factor.
  • Output now includes kick amplification function for each actuator as well as useful parameters in all the output files.
  • Added amplification factor output for slopes.

• bunched_beam: Previous versions did not generate longitudinal phase space for dynamic aperture beam type. This version does.

• Several improvements where made to orbit correction and closed orbit computation:
  • The orbit correction matrix is now computing using the average Twiss parameters at the entrance and exit of the elements. The previous version used just the exit parameters.
  • BPM-weighted correction works properly now. In past versions, the weight was basically either 0 (exclude) or 1 (include).
  • Added output of the orbit slopes to the closed orbit output file.
  • The fixed-path-length orbit computation algorithm now has improved convergence.
  • Pre-correction corrector zeroing now includes objects other than HKICK, VKICK, and KICKER.

• error_element:
  • Added bind_across_names parameter, which permits giving the same error to many elements that match a wild-card pattern but have different names. In previous versions, error binding only applied to elements with the same name.
  • Previously, the "plus_or_minus" error type was also necessarily and by default a fractional error. This is no longer the case. One must explicitly ask for fractional mode, just as with other error types.

• find_aperture: Added search_output parameter, which gives a filename to which details on each tracked particle will be written.

• load_parameters
  • Now correctly handles loading and saving parameters when element division is used.

• Optimization
  • Added two new optimization methods: ``randomwalk'' and ``randomsample''. These are very useful when starting from scratch with a system that is, for example, unstable.
  • Added bestOptimizationFunction parameter to final output file. This gives the best value of the optimization function obtained so far.
  • Chromaticity correction is now optionally performed while doing an optimization. (One can also include the chromaticity in the optimization literally, of course.)
  • Added the ability to automatically change the weights of different optimization function terms to emphasize the most difficult terms. Paradoxically, this can often result in convergence for all terms.
  • Added controls for adjustment of initial simplex size on restart of simplex optimization.
  • Higher-order dispersion and chromaticities are now available for optimization expressions.

• sdds_beam:
  • Fixed bug in the code that checks units for elegant-style input files. In previous versions, if the units of p were blank (an allowed ``error''), other units errors were ignored.
  • Now read $p_\phi$ data for spiffe input files. (spiffe is a particle-in-cell code for rf gun simulation, available from the OAG web site.)

• track: Fixed bug that prevented linear chromatic matrix tracking (LCMT) from working in some cases. LCMT now uses higher-order chromaticity and dispersion, if these are computed. Also, now uses second-order momentum compaction for longitudinal motion.

• tune_shift_with_amplitude:
  • Added controls for adjustment of the initial particle amplitude.
  • Fixed problems with computation in presence of MALIGN elements with ON_PASS parameters not equal to -1.