Beam halo dynamics and control with hollow electron beams

Experimental measurements of beam halo diffusion dynamics with collimator scans are reviewed. The concept of halo control with a hollow electron beam collimator, its demonstration at the Tevatron, and its possible applications at the LHC are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, in Proceedings of the 52nd ICFA Advanced Beam Dynamics Workshop on High-Intensity and High-Brightness Hadron Beams (HB2012), Beijing, China, 17-21 September 201

Fermilab Main Injector Beam Position Monitor Upgrade

An upgrade of the Beam Position Monitor (BPM) signal processing and data acquisition system for the Fermilab Main Injector is described. The Main Injector is a fast cycling synchrotron that accelerates protons or antiprotons from 8 to 150 GeV. Each Main Injector cycle can have a totally different magnet ramp, RF frequency configuration, beam bunch structure, and injection/extraction pattern from the previous cycle. The new BPM system provides the capabilities and flexibility required by the dynamic and complex machine operations. The system offers measurement capability in the 2.5 MHz and 53 MHz channels to detect the range of bunch structures for protons and antiprotons in both wideband (turn-by-turn) and narrowband (closed-orbit) modes. The new BPM read-out system is based on the digital receiver concept and is highly configurable, allowing the signal processing of nearly all Main Injector beam conditions, including the detection of individual batches. An overview of the BPM system in the Main Injector operating environment, some technology details and first beam measurements are presented

COMMISSIONING OF THE FERMILAB ELECTRON COOLER PROTOTYPE BEAM LINE

Abstract A prototype of a 4.3-MeV electron cooling system is being assembled at Fermilab as part of the ongoing R&D program in high energy electron cooling. This electron cooler prototype will not demonstrate the actual cooling but it will allow determining if the electron beam properties are suitable for antiproton beam cooling. An electron beam is accelerated by a 5-MV Pelletron (Van de Graaff type) accelerator and transported to a prototype cooling section. The cooling will take place in a 20-m long solenoid flanked on both sides by a delivery and return beam-line -a total of 60 meters of transport channel. This paper describes the first results of commissioning this novel beam line as well as the status of the electron cooling R&D program

Collimation Studies with Hollow Electron Beams

Recent experimental studies at the Fermilab Tevatron collider have shown that magnetically confined hollow electron beams can act as a new kind of collimator for high-intensity beams in storage rings. In a hollow electron beam collimator, electrons enclose the circulating beam. Their electric charge kicks halo particles transversely. If their distribution is axially symmetric, the beam core is unaffected. This device is complementary to conventional two-stage collimation systems: the electron beam can be placed arbitrarily close to the circulating beam; and particle removal is smooth, so that the device is a diffusion enhancer rather than a hard aperture limitation. The concept was tested in the Tevatron collider using a hollow electron gun installed in one of the existing electron lenses. We describe some of the technical aspects of hollow-beam scraping and the results of recent measurements

A working, VME-based, 106MHz FADC data acquisition system for the tracking detectors at D0

A data acquisition system for the tracking detectors of the D0 Colliding Detector has been built and is operational, taking cosmic ray data. It is composed of 8200 channels of 106MHz 8-bit Flash Analog to Digital Converters(FADC). These are configured as sixteen channels per FADC Module, up to sixteen FADC Modules per crate, and a total of thirty-six 9U VME crates. A crate controller module, the control system interface, and a high speed data buffer/driver complete the FADC crate. Design and operation details are described. 6 refs

Performance of the Fermilab's 4.3 MeV electron cooler

A 4.3 MeV DC electron beam is used to cool longitudinally an antiproton beam in the Fermilab's Recycler ring. Cooling capabilities of the electron beam are characterized by the drag rate that was measured at various conditions. Fitting the results with a formula for non-magnetized cooling gives electron parameters that agree within a factor of 2 with independently measured electron beam properties