  A Nd:YAG laser was used to simulate charged particle tracks at known
positions in the CERES Time Projection Chamber at the CERN SPS. The system was
primarily developed to study the response of the readout electronics and to
calibrate the electron drift velocity. Further applications were the
determination of the gating grid transparency, the chamber position
calibration, and long-term monitoring of drift properties of the gas in the
detector.
