PALS: Particle Accelerator Language Standard#
The Particle Accelerator Language Standard (PALS) defines a common, language-neutral way to describe the lattices and machine information of particle accelerators and storage rings — so that this information can be shared freely between simulation programs, published, archived, and analyzed with a single, unified description.
A PALS-based lattice can hold the information for an entire machine complex, from beam creation through to the dump lines, enabling start-to-end simulations built on a single lattice. PALS itself does not perform simulations or tracking; it is the standardized description that simulation programs read from and write to.
Why PALS?
Portability between applications and differing algorithms
Open access description of scientific data for publishing and archiving
A unified basis for post-processing, visualization, and analysis
Explore the standard#
What PALS is, what it is not, and how simulation programs interact with a PALS file.
Core concepts, notation, and coordinate conventions used throughout the schema.
The standardized element kinds, their parameters, and how they are grouped.
Organizing elements into lines and branches to describe an entire machine complex.
Code packages and simulation programs that read and write PALS files.
Governance, how to contribute, and guidelines for writing documentation.