Simulations and measurements of cleaning with 100 MJ beams in the LHC

The CERN Large Hadron Collider is routinely storing proton beam intensities of more than 100 MJ, which puts extraordinary demands on the control of beam losses to avoid quenches of the superconducting magnets. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the LHC beam cleaning is required. We present tracking and shower simulations of the LHC's multi-stage collimation system and compare with measured beam losses, which allow us to conclude on the predictive power of the simulations.Asian Committee for Future Accelerators (ACFA),American Physical Society Division of Physics of Beams (APS-DPB),Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS),European Physical Society Accelerator Group (EPS-AG)peer-reviewe

Simulations and measurements of beam loss patterns at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is designed to collide proton beams of unprecedented energy, in order to extend the frontiers of high-energy particle physics. During the first very successful running period in 2010-2013, the LHC was routinely storing protons at 3.5-4 TeV with a total beam energy of up to 146 MJ, and even higher stored energies are foreseen in the future. This puts extraordinary demands on the control of beam losses. An uncontrolled loss of even a tiny fraction of the beam could cause a superconducting magnet to undergo a transition into a normal-conducting state, or in the worst case cause material damage. Hence a multistage collimation system has been installed in order to safely intercept high-amplitude beam protons before they are lost elsewhere. To guarantee adequate protection from the collimators, a detailed theoretical understanding is needed. This article presents results of numerical simulations of the distribution of beam losses around the LHC that have leaked out of the collimation system. The studies include tracking of protons through the fields of more than 5000 magnets in the 27 km LHC ring over hundreds of revolutions, and Monte Carlo simulations of particle-matter interactions both in collimators and machine elements being hit by escaping particles. The simulation results agree typically within a factor 2 with measurements of beam loss distributions from the previous LHC run. Considering the complex simulation, which must account for a very large number of unknown imperfections, and in view of the total losses around the ring spanning over 7 orders of magnitude, we consider this an excellent agreement. Our results give confidence in the simulation tools, which are used also for the design of future accelerators.peer-reviewe

Strong reduction of the off-momentum halo in crystal assisted collimation of the SPS beam

A study of crystal assisted collimation has been continued at the CERN SPS for different energies of stored beams using 120 GeV/. c and 270 GeV/. c protons and Pb ions with 270 GeV/. c per charge. A bent silicon crystal used as a primary collimator deflected halo particles using channeling and directing them into the tungsten absorber. A strong correlation of the beam losses in the crystal and off-momentum halo intensity measured in the first high dispersion (HD) area downstream was observed. In channeling conditions, the beam loss rate induced by inelastic interactions of particles with nuclei is significantly reduced in comparison with the non-oriented crystal. A maximal reduction of beam losses in the crystal larger than 20 was observed with 270 GeV/. c protons. The off-momentum halo intensity measured in the HD area was also strongly reduced in channeling conditions. The reduction coefficient was larger than 7 for the case of Pb ions. A strong loss reduction was also detected in regions of the SPS ring far from the collimation area. It was shown by simulations that the miscut angle between the crystal surface and its crystallographic planes doubled the beam losses in the aligned crystal.peer-reviewe

Comparative results on collimation of the SPS beam of protons and Pb ions with bent crystals

New experiments on crystal assisted collimation have been carried out at the CERN SPS with stored beams of 120 GeV/. c protons and Pb ions. Bent silicon crystals of 2 mm long with about 170 μrad bend angle and a small residual torsion were used as primary collimators. In channeling conditions, the beam loss rate induced by inelastic interactions of particles with the crystal nuclei is minimal. The loss reduction was about 6 for protons and about 3 for Pb ions. Lower reduction value for Pb ions can be explained by their considerably larger ionization losses in the crystal. In one of the crystals, the measured fraction of the Pb ion beam halo deflected in channeling conditions was 74%, a value very close to that for protons. The intensity of the off-momentum halo leaking out from the collimation station was measured in the first high dispersion area downstream. The particle population in the shadow of the secondary collimator-absorber was considerably smaller in channeling conditions than for amorphous orientations of the crystal. The corresponding reduction was in the range of 2-5 for both protons and Pb ions.peer-reviewe

Observation of parametric X-rays produced by 400 GeV/c protons in bent crystals

Spectral maxima of parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) produced by 400 GeV/c protons in bent silicon crystals aligned with the beam have been observed in an experiment at the H8 external beam of the CERN SPS. The total yield of PXR photons was about 10-6 per proton. Agreement between calculations and the experimental data shows that the PXR kinematic theory is valid for bent crystals with sufficiently small curvature as used in the experiment. The intensity of PXR emitted from halo protons in a bent crystal used as a primary collimator in a circular accelerator may be considered as a possible tool to control its crystal structure, which is slowly damaged because of irradiation. The intensity distribution of PXR peaks depends on the crystal thickness intersected by the beam, which changes for different orientations of a crystal collimator. This dependence may be used to control crystal collimator alignment by analyzing PXR spectra produced by halo protons.peer-reviewe

Collimation for the LHC high intensity beams

The unprecedented design intensities of the LHC require several important advances in beam collimation. With its more than 100 collimators, acting on various planes and beams, the LHC collimation system is the biggest and most performing such system ever designed and constructed. The solution for LHC collimation is explained, the technical components are introduced and the initial performance is presented. Residual beam leakage from the system is analysed. Measurements and simulations are presented which show that collimation efficiencies of better than 99.97 % have been measured with the 3.5 TeV proton beams of the LHC, in excellent agreement with expectations.peer-reviewe

Design and performance optimization of the LHC collimation system

Le Large Hadron Collider (LHC) du CERN est une machine circulaire utilisant des aimants supraconducteurs à fort champ pour faire circuler deux faisceaux de protons ayant une énergie maximale de 7 TeV. La luminosité de faisceau maximale est estimée à 10 34 cm2s-1. Il est important de nettoyer chaque faisceau de son halo afin d'éviter le quench d'un aimant; on utilise alors des collimateurs, installés à des endroits adéquats de la machine de sorte à constituer un système multi niveau. L'inefficacité de ce système doit être bien plus petite que pour tout autre machine, soit environ 0.00002 % à 7 TeV. Des simulations détaillées de conditions opératoires réalistes ont été réalisés, afin d'estimer la réponse du système selon chaque cas. Des cartes donnent la répartition des pertes locales de protons le long de la machine avec une résolution de 10 cm. Le niveau de performance du système de collimation du LHC est donné pour le cas idéal et pour un scénario d'erreur d'orbite: l'intensité maximale de la machine est limitée à respectivement 43 % (cas idéal) et 27 % (modèle d'erreur) de la valeur nominale. Une liste des positions caractéristiques de pertes est établie afin d'optimiser le système de protection de la machine. Un prototype de collimateur fut teste en conditions de faisceau LHC. Le contrôle de l'ouverture du collimateur est possible avec une précision de 50 m ; des résultats intéressants sur l'action du collimateur sur le faisceau ont également été obtenus. Des tests de résistance de matériau ont aussi été menés, les données enregistrées ont ensuite été comparées aux simulations numériques afin de confirmer les estimations en termes de dépôt d'énergie et déformations.GRENOBLE1-BU Sciences (384212103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Exploring a Nonlinear Collimation System for the LHC

We explore the adaptation of a nonlinear collimation system, as previously developed for linear colliders, to LHC betatron cleaning. A possible nonlinear system for LHC consists of a horizontal and vertical primary collimator located in between a pair of skew sextupoles. We discuss the modified LHC optics, the need for and optimum placement of secondary absorbers, and the simulated cleaning efficiency

Mechanical Design for Robustness of the LHC Collimators

The functional specification of the LHC Collimators requires, for the start-up of the machine and the initial luminosity runs (Phase 1), a collimation system with maximum robustness against abnormal beam operating conditions. The most severe cases to be considered in the mechanical design are the asynchronous beam dump at 7 TeV and the 450 GeV injection error. To ensure that the collimator jaws survive such accident scenarios, low-Z materials were chosen, driving the design towards Graphite or Carbon/Carbon composites. Furthermore, in-depth thermo-mechanical simulations, both static and dynamic, were necessary.This paper presents the results of the numerical analyses performed for the 450 GeV accident case, along with the experimental results of the tests conducted on a collimator prototype in Cern TT40 transfer line, impacted by a 450 GeV beam of 3.1·101

Measurements of the LHC Collimator Impedance with Beam in the SPS

The transverse impedance of the LHC collimators will likely dominate the overall transverse impedance in the LHC at high energies and potentially limit the maximum intensity. A prototype collimator was recently tested in the SPS. Small, but significant tune shifts depending on the collimator position have been observed using different independent high resolution tune measurement methods. In addition trapped modes predicted from numerical simulation at the ends of the collimator jaws have been identified by bench measurement techniques as well as with the beam. We present a description of the measurements and an analysis of the results