Comparison of LHC beam loss maps using the transverse damper blow up and tune resonance crossing methods

The LHC collimator settings are qualified regularly via beam loss maps. In this procedure, the beam is artificially excited to create abnormal loss rates. The transverse damper blow up and tune resonance crossing methods are used to increase the betatron amplitude of particles and verify the efficiency of the collimation cleaning and the collimator hierarchy. This paper presents a quantitative comparison of the methods, based on measurements done at different phases of the LHC machine cycle. The analysis is done using Beam Loss Monitor (BLM) with integration times of 1.3 s and 80 ms. The use of the faster BLM data to study the time evolution of the losses in IR3 and IR7 during off-momentum loss maps is also presented.peer-reviewe

Collimator impedance measurements in the LHC

The collimation system of the LHC is one of the largest impedance contributors of the machine, in particular for its imaginary part. To evaluate the collimator impedance and its evolution with integrated luminosity, several measurement campaigns were performed along the year 2012, in which collimator jaws were moved back-and-forth leading to significant tune shifts for a nominal intensity bunch in the machine. These observations are compared to the results from HEADTAIL simulations with the impedance model in its current state of development.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

Lifetime analysis at high intensity colliders applied to the LHC

The beam lifetime is one of the main parameters to define the performance of a collider. In a super-conducting machine like the LHC, the lifetime determines the intensity reach for a given collimation cleaning. The beam lifetime can be calculated from the direct measurement of beam current. However, due to the noise in the beam current signal only an average lifetime over several seconds can be calculated. We propose here an alternative method, which uses the signal of the beam loss monitors in the vicinity of the primary collimators to get the instantaneous beam lifetime at the collimators. In this paper we compare the lifetime from the two methods and investigate the minimum lifetime over the LHC cycle for all the physics fills in 2011 and 2012. These data provide a reference for estimates of performance reach from collimator cleaning.peer-reviewe

Cleaning inefficiency of the LHC collimation system during the energy ramp : simulations and measurements

The cleaning inefficiency of the LHC collimation system for the operational scenarios in 2010-12 has already been studied in detail at injection and top energy (450 GeV and 4 TeV respectively). In this paper, results are presented for the cleaning inefficiency at intermediate energies, simulated using the SixTrack code. The first comparisons with measured provoked losses are discussed. This study helps in benchmarking the energy dependence of the simulated inefficiency and is thus important for the extrapolation to future operation at higher energies.peer-reviewe

Simulations and measurements of beam losses on LHC collimators during beam abort failures

One of the main purposes of tracking simulations for collimation studies is to produce loss maps along the LHC ring, in order to identify the level of local beam losses during nominal and abnormal operation scenarios. The SixTrack program is the standard tracking tool used at CERN to perform these studies. Recently, it was expanded in order to evaluate the proton load on different collimators in case of fast beam failures. Simulations are compared with beam measurements at 4 TeV. Combined failures are assumed which provide worst-case scenarios of the load on tungsten tertiary collimators.peer-reviewe

Experience with high-intensity beam scraping and tail populations at the Large Hadron Collider

The population of beam tails at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a source of concern for the operation at higher beam energies and intensities when even small fractions of the beam could represent a potential danger is case of slow or fast losses, e.g. caused by orbit transients or by collimator movements. Different studies have been performed using the technique of collimator scans to probe the beam tail population in different conditions. The experience accumulated during the operation at 3.5 TeV and 4 TeV is reviewed.peer-reviewe

Simulations and measurements of beam losses on LHC collimators during beam abort failures

One of the main purposes of tracking simulations for collimation studies is to produce loss maps along the LHC ring, in order to identify the level of local beam losses during nominal and abnormal operation scenarios. The SixTrack program is the standard tracking tool used at CERN to perform these studies. Recently, it was expanded in order to evaluate the proton load on different collimators in case of fast beam failures. Simulations are compared with beam measurements at 4 TeV. Combined failures are assumed which provide worst-case scenarios of the load on tungsten tertiary collimators.peer-reviewe

High energy beam impact tests on a LHC tertiary collimator at CERN HiRadMat facility

The correct functioning of the collimation system is crucial to safely operate the LHC. The requirements to handle high intensity beams can be demanding. In this respect, investigating the consequences of LHC particle beams hitting tertiary collimators (TCTs) in the experimental regions is a fundamental issue for machine protection. An experimental test was designed to investigate the robustness and effects of beam accidents on a fully assembled collimator, based on accident scenarios in the LHC. This experiment, carried out at the CERN HiRadMat (High Irradiation to Materials) facility, involved 440 GeV beam impacts of different intensities on the jaws of a horizontal TCT. This paper presents the experimental setup and the preliminary results obtained together with some first outcomes from visual inspection.peer-reviewe

Operating the LHC off-momentum for p-pb collisions

The first high-luminosity p-Pb run at the LHC took place in January-February 2013 at 4 Z TeV energy per beam. The RF frequency difference of proton and Pb is about 60 Hz for equal magnetic rigidities at that energy, which means that beams move to slightly off-momentum, non-central, orbits during physics when frequencies are locked together. The resulting optical perturbations ("beta-beating") restrict the available aperture and required a special correction. This was also the first operation of the LHC with low beta function in all four experiments and it required a specific collimation set up. Predictions from offline calculations of beta-beating correction are compared with measurements during the optics commissioning and collimator set-up.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 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