Field measurement for large quadrupole magnets

The results of the field measurement of the large quadrupole magnet of the MAGNEX spectrometer are presented and analyzed in the view of the possible application of modern techniques of ray reconstruction. The experimental data are checked against the symmetry conditions expected for the magnet. The observed deviations are related both to imperfections on the magnet manufacturing and to the not ideal positioning of the measurement device. In particular a quantitative estimation of the experimental error in the alignment of the probe with respect to the magnet is achieved. The measured field is also compared with the results from three-dimensional finite elements calculation. The obtained discrepancies between the measured and calculated field are too large for a direct application of the latter to ray-reconstruction methods. Nevertheless, these calculations are reliably used to study the impact of the observed inaccuracies in the probe alignment on the overall precision of field reconstruction and to set quantitative constraints on the field interpolation algorithms.