Commissioning of the CNGS Extraction in SPS LSS4

The CNGS project (CERN Neutrino to Gran Sasso) aims at directly detecting νμ - Î½Ï oscillations. For this purpose an intense νμ beam is generated at CERN and directed towards LNGS (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso) in Italy, about 730 km from CERN. The neutrinos are generated from the decay of pions and kaons which are produced by 400 GeV protons hitting a graphite target. The protons are extracted from the SPS straight section 4 (LSS4) in two 10.5 ï­s batches, nominally 2.4 Ñ 1013 protons each, at an interval of 50 ms. The high intensity extracted beam can cause damage to equipment if lost in an uncontrolled way, with the extraction elements particularly at risk. In addition, the beam losses at extraction must be very well controlled to avoid unacceptably high levels of radiation. To guarantee safe operation and limit radiation, the LSS4 extraction system was thoroughly commissioned with beam during the CNGS commissioning in summer 2006. The obtained results in terms of aperture in the extraction channel, longitudinal loss patterns, extraction losses and radiation during nominal operation are summarised in this note

Benchmarking the Particle Background in the Large Hadron Collider Experiments

Background benchmarking measurements have been made to check the low-energy processes which will contribute via nuclear reactions to the radiation background in the LHC experiments at CERN. Previously these processes were only evaluated with Monte Carlo simulations, estimated to be reliable within an uncertainty factor of 2.5. Measurements were carried out in an experimental set-up comparable to the shielding of ATLAS, one of the general-purpose experiments at LHC. The absolute yield and spectral measurements of photons and neutrons emanating from the final stages of the hadronic showers were made with a Bi_4Ge_3O_{12} (BGO) detector. The particle transport code FLUKA was used for detailed simulations. Comparison between measurements and simulations show that they agree within 20% and hence the uncertainty factor resulting from the shower processes can be reduced to a factor of 1.2

A facility to Search for Hidden Particles (SHiP) at the CERN SPS

A new general purpose fixed target facility is proposed at the CERN SPS accelerator which is aimed at exploring the domain of hidden particles and make measurements with tau neutrinos. Hidden particles are predicted by a large number of models beyond the Standard Model. The high intensity of the SPS 400~GeV beam allows probing a wide variety of models containing light long-lived exotic particles with masses below ${\cal O}$(10)~GeV/c$^2$, including very weakly interacting low-energy SUSY states. The experimental programme of the proposed facility is capable of being extended in the future, e.g. to include direct searches for Dark Matter and Lepton Flavour Violation.Comment: Technical Proposa

Measurement of the muon flux from 400 GeV/c protons interacting in a thick molybdenum/tungsten target

The SHiP experiment is proposed to search for very weakly interacting particles beyond the Standard Model which are produced in a 400 GeV/c proton beam dump at the CERN SPS. About 1011 muons per spill will be produced in the dump. To design the experiment such that the muon-induced background is minimized, a precise knowledge of the muon spectrum is required. To validate the muon flux generated by our Pythia and GEANT4 based Monte Carlo simulation (FairShip), we have measured the muon flux emanating from a SHiP-like target at the SPS. This target, consisting of 13 interaction lengths of slabs of molybdenum and tungsten, followed by a 2.4 m iron hadron absorber was placed in the H4 400 GeV/c proton beam line. To identify muons and to measure the momentum spectrum, a spectrometer instrumented with drift tubes and a muon tagger were used. During a 3-week period a dataset for analysis corresponding to (3.27±0.07) × 1011 protons on target was recorded. This amounts to approximatively 1% of a SHiP spill

Track reconstruction and matching between emulsion and silicon pixel detectors for the SHiP-charm experiment

In July 2018 an optimization run for the proposed charm cross section measurement for SHiP was performed at the CERN SPS. A heavy, moving target instrumented with nuclear emulsion films followed by a silicon pixel tracker was installed in front of the Goliath magnet at the H4 proton beam-line. Behind the magnet, scintillating-fibre, drift-tube and RPC detectors were placed. The purpose of this run was to validate the measurement's feasibility, to develop the required analysis tools and fine-tune the detector layout. In this paper, we present the track reconstruction in the pixel tracker and the track matching with the moving emulsion detector. The pixel detector performed as expected and it is shown that, after proper alignment, a vertex matching rate of 87% is achieved

Calculations of dose attenuation in slowly curving tunnel geometries at a high-energy proton accelerator

The CERN Neutrino beam to Gran Sasso (CNGS) project and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will receive 450 GeV/c protons extracted from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). In the tunnels leading to the CNGS target and the LHC accelerator there is a 150 m straight section where a beam dump (TED) can be moved into the beam chamber, intercepting the proton beam. After the TED, the beam is routed into either the 700m slowly curving TT41 tunnel (CNGS) or the TI8 tunnel consisting of a 400 m straight section followed by a curved 1.5 km long tunnel (LHC). The curved tunnels have a radius of approximately 1 km. During tests a proton beam of 1.2 multiplied by 10**1**3 s**- **1 could be sent to the dump. The question posed was how close to the TED could access be allowed during dumping operations. Initial simulations using the FLUKA Monte-Carlo transport program were optimised assuming that the high-energy muon contribution dominates. Discrepancies with an analytically based calculation led to a revision of this optimisation. Further simulations showed that the radiation field deep in the slowly curving tunnels was dominated by the scattering of low-energy muons in the walls. These were also more important than the low-energy neutrons. This paper describes these simulations, which were the first in the authors' experience where muon scattering dominated tunnel attenuation at a high-energy accelerator. 10 Refs

Beam-Loss Induced Pressure Rise of LHC Collimator Materials Irradiated with 158 GeV/u In49+In^{49+} Ions at the CERN SPS

During heavy ion operation, large pressure rises, up to a few orders of magnitude, were observed at CERN, GSI, and BNL. The dynamic pressure rises were triggered by lost beam ions that impacted onto the vacuum chamber walls and desorbed about 1044 to 107 molecules per ion. The deterioration of the dynamic vacuum conditions can enhance charge-exchange beam losses and can lead to beam instabilities or even to beam abortion triggered by vacuum interlocks. Consequently, a dedicated measure-ment of heavy-ion induced molecular desorption in the GeV/u energy range is important for LHC ion operation. In 2003, a desorption experiment was installed at the SPS to measure the beam-loss induced pressure rise of potential LHC collimator materials. Samples of bare graphite, sputter coated (Cu, TiZrV) graphite, and 316 LN stainless steel, were irradiated under grazing angle with 158 GeV/u indium ions. After a description of the new experimental set-up, the results of the pressure rise measurements are presented, and the derived desorption yields are compared with data from other experiments

Measuring the photon background in the LHC experimental environment

Background benchmarking measurements were performed in an experimental set-up comparable to the shielding of ATLAS, a general purpose experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The absolute yield and energy measurements of photons emanating from the final stages of the hadronic showers in the shielding were performed with a Be sub 4 Ge sub 3 O sub 1 sub 2 (BGO) detector. Detailed simulations of the set-up were done using the FLUKA code. Comparison between measurements and simulations show that they agree within 20%

First Calibrations of Alanine and Radio-Photo-Luminescence Dosemeters to a Hadronic Radiation Environment

Alanine and Radio-Photo-Luminescence (RPL) dosimeters are used to monitor radiation doses occurring inside the tunnels of all CERN accelerators including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). They are placed close to radiation sensitive machine components like cables or insulation of magnet coils to predict their remaining lifetime. The dosimeters are exposed to mixed high-energy radiation fields. However, up to now both dosimeter types are calibrated to 60Co-photons only. In order to study the response of RPL and alanine dosimeters to mixed particle fields like those occurring at CERN's accelerators, an irradiation campaign at the CERN-EC High-Energy Reference field Facility (CERF-field) was performed. Moreover, the dosimeters were first time calibrated to a proton radiation field of a constant momentum of 24 GeV/c. In addition to the experiment FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations were carried out, which provide information concerning the energy deposition and the radiation field at the dosimeter locations

Performance Tests of Survey Instruments Used in Radiation Fields Around High-Energy Accelerators

Measurements of ambient dose equivalent in stray radiation fields behind the shielding of high-energy accelerators are a challenging task. Several radiation components (photons, neutrons, charged particles), spanning a wide range of energies, contribute to the total dose equivalent. In routine-measurements, the total dose equivalent is obtained by the combination of several radiation detectors. Ionisation chambers, which are sensitive to all radiation components, are employed together with so-called REM counters, which are responding mainly to neutrons. The total dose equivalent is correctly assessed provided that the response is interpreted carefully by using appropriate corrections and calibration factors. For this reason measurements were carried out in a high-energy reference field at CERN, which allows one to study the response of the different detectors in a mixed radiation field under controlled conditions. In addition, the field was simulated by Monte Carlo simulations. The outcome of these studies serves on one hand as a basis for quality assurance and improves on the other hand the knowledge of the instrument's response for future applications at the LHC