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The Wake Field Monitor (WFM) system installed on the CLIC prototype accelerating structure in CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has two channels for each horizontal/vertical plane, operating at different frequencies. When moving the beam relative to the aperture of the structure, a disagreement is observed between the center position of the structure as measured with the two channels in each plane. This is a challenge for the planned use of WFMs in the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC), where they will be used to measure the center offset between the accelerating structures and the beam. Through a mixture of simulations and measurements, we have discovered a potential mechanism for this, which is discussed along with implications for improving position resolution near the structure center, and the possibility determination of the sign of the beam offset., 16 pages, 20 figures

The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL--LHC) will require unprecedented orbit stability at the low-beta experiments, ATLAS and CMS. Because the effect of seismic noise might become a relevant source of luminosity loss, several studies have been conducted to characterize the actual ground motion in the LHC tunnel. In preparation for the official groundbreaking of the civil engineering work for the high luminosity upgrade, which started on 15 June 2018 in parallel to LHC beam operation, seismic sensors were installed to permanently monitor the ground stability close to these experiments. Compactor work and shaft excavation were expected to induce vibrations in the accelerator magnets that would cause orbit disturbance, beam loss, and potentially premature beam dumps. This paper summarises the observations made on the LHC beams and uses this data to benchmark estimates of the impact of low-frequency vibrations on the closed orbit at the main interaction points and collimators. The impact of ground motion on HL--LHC operation is then estimated using the expected operational scenario and the estimated mechanical stability of the new HL--LHC triplet magnets that is based on recent measurements of mechanical magnet transfer functions.

A high-pulse-current injector followed by a short high-gradient X-band linac is considered as a driver for a compact Inverse Compton Scattering source. We show that using a high-power ultrashort pulse laser operating in burst mode and a Fabry-Pérot enhancement cavity, X-rays with flux values over 10¹³ ph/s and photon energies up to MeV are achievable. The resulting high-intensity and high-energy X-rays allow for various applications, including cancer therapy, tomography, and nuclear waste management. A preliminary conceptual design of such a compact ICS source is presented, together with simulations of the expected performance., Proceedings of the 31st International Linear Accelerator Conference, LINAC2022, Liverpool, UK

The Advanced Proton Driven Plasma Wakefield Experiment (AWAKE) at CERN uses 6 cm long proton bunches extracted from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at 400 GeV beam energy to drive high gradient plasma wakefields for the acceleration of electron bunches to 2 GeV within a 10 m length. Knowledge and control of the position of both copropagating beams is crucial for the operation of the experiment. Whilst the current electron beam position monitoring system at AWAKE can be used in the absence of the proton beam, the proton bunch signal dominates when both particle bunches are present simultaneously. A new technique based on the generation of Cherenkov diffraction radiation (ChDR) in a dielectric material placed in close proximity to the particle beam has been designed to exploit the large bunch length difference of the particle beams at AWAKE, 200 ps for protons versus a few ps for electrons, such that the electron signal dominates. Hence, this technique would allow for the position measurement of a short electron bunch in the presence of a more intense but longer proton bunch. The design considerations, numerical analysis and plans for tests at the CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) facility are presented., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

The CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has been operating as a general user facility since 2017 providing beams for a wide range of user experiments. However, with its current optical layout, the beams available to users are not able to cover every request. To overcome this, a second experimental beamline has been proposed. In this paper we discuss the potential optics of the new line as well as detailing the hardware required for its construction. Branching from the current beamline, via a dogleg chicane that could be used for bunch compression, the new beamline would provide an additional in-air test stand to be available to users. The beamline before the test stand would utilise large aperture quadrupoles to allow the irradiation of large target areas or strong focussing of beams onto a target. In addition to this there would also be further in-vacuum space to install experiments., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) of 50 - 250 MeV are an attractive choice for FLASH radiation therapy (RT). Before VHEE-FLASH RT can be considered for clinical use, a reliable dosimetric and beam monitoring system needs to be developed, able to measure the dose delivered to the patient in real-time and cut off the beam in the event of a machine fault to prevent overdosing the patient. Ionisation chambers are the standard monitors in conventional RT; however, their response saturates at the high dose rates required for FLASH. Therefore, a new dosimetry method is needed that can provide reliable measurements of the delivered dose in these conditions. Experiments using 200 MeV electrons were done at the CLEAR facility at CERN to investigate the properties of detectors such as diamond beam loss detectors, GEM foil detectors, and Timepix3 ASIC chips. From the tests, the GEM foil proved to be the most promising., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

The CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) at CERN is a test facility using a 200 MeV electron beam. In 2020 and 2021, a few hardware upgrades were done: comparators for position measurements were added on components, the in-air experimental area was re-arranged in order to provide more space, a robotic system was built to enable remote samples manipulations for irradiation studies, the BPM reading system was optimized and the laser double-bunch system implemented to allow for a doubling of the electron bunch frequency from 1.5 GHz to 3 GHz. In the paper, we describe such improvements, we outline the experimental activities during 2021 and illustrate the diverse program for the next 4 years, including high doses’ irradiation studies for medical applications., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

The interest for Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) radiotherapy (RT) for cancer treatment recently bloomed, given the present availability of high-gradient accelerator technology for compact, cost effective electron linacs in the 100-200 MeV energy range. Particularly promising is the so called FLASH high dose rate regime, in which cancer cells are damaged while healthy tissue is largely spared. VHEE beams are especially adapted for FLASH RT, given their penetration depth and the high beam current, needed to treat large deep seated tumors. In the CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) facility, a series of unique studies have been initiated on VHEE and FLASH RT issues, in collaboration with several multidisciplinary user groups. In this paper we briefly outline the activities and its main recent results, e.g. on localized dose deposition by beam focusing, and on chemical and biological test to clarify damage mechanisms. We then describe in details the dedicated systems and the techniques adopted - and in large part locally developed by the CLEAR team - in order to satisfy the user requirements, with particular attention to the crucial aspect of high dose rate dosimetry., Proceedings of the 31st International Linear Accelerator Conference, LINAC2022, Liverpool, UK

The 200 MeV electron beam of the CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) user facility at CERN has been intensively used to study the potential use of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) in cancer radiotherapy. In particular, irradiation tests have been performed in the high dose rate regime, which has gained a lot of interest for the so called FLASH biological effect, in which cancer cells are damaged while healthy tissue is largely spared. High dose rate dosimetry, though, poses a number of challenges: to validate standard or new methods of passive dosimetry, like radiochromic films and alanine pellets, and especially to develop new methods for real-time dosimetry since the normally used ionization chambers suffer from non-linear effects at high dose rates. In this paper we describe the results of experimental activities at CLEAR aimed at developing solid, high-dose rate dosimetry standards adapted to VHEE beams., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

Beams of uniform transverse beam profile are desirable for a variety of applications such as irradiation experiments. The generation of beams with such profiles has previously been investigated as a method of reducing emittance growth. These methods, however, often use complicated optics setups or short, femtosecond laser pulse lengths. In this paper, we demonstrate that if ultra low emittance is not the target of the photoinjector, it is possible to produce transversely uniform beam profiles using a simple Gaussian laser, with a bunch length of a few picoseconds, utilising space-charge effects only., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

The AWAKE experiment studies the acceleration of electrons to multi-GeV levels driven by the plasma wakefield generated by an ultra-relativistic and high intensity proton bunch. The proton beam, being considerably more intense than the co-propagating electron bunch, perturbs the measurement of the electron beam position achieved via standard techniques. This contribution shows that the electrons position monitoring is possible by frequency discrimination, exploiting the large bunch length difference between the electron and proton beams. Simulations and a beam measurement hint, the measurement has to be carried out in a frequency regime of a few tens of GHz, which is far beyond the spectrum produced by the 1ns long (4 �� Gaussian) proton bunch. As operating a conventional Beam Position Monitor (BPM) in this frequency range is problematic, an innovative approach based on the emission of coherent Cherenkov Diffraction Radiation (ChDR) in dielectrics is being studied. After describing the monitor concept and design, we will report about the results achieved with a prototype system at the CERN electron facility CLEAR., Proceedings of the 10th International Beam Instrumentation Conference, IBIC2021, Pohang, Rep. of Korea

The CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) at CERN has been operating since 2017 as a dedicated user facility providing beams for a varied range of experiments. CLEAR consists of a 20 m long linear accelerator (linac), able to produce beams from a Cs₂Te photocathode and accelerate them to energies of between 60 MeV and 220 MeV. Following the linac, an experimental beamline is located, in which irradiation tests, wakefield and impedances tudies, plasma lens experiments, beam diagnostics development, and terahertz (THz) emission studies, are performed. In this paper, we present recent upgrades to the entire beamline, as well as the design of future upgrades, such as a dogleg section connecting to an additional proposed experimental beamline. The gain in performance due to these upgrades is presented with a full range of available beam properties documented., Proceedings of the 12th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Despite the increase in interest in using Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) beams for cancer radiotherapy many unanswered questions in its development remain. The use of test facilities will be an essential tool used to solve these issues. The 200 MeV electron beam from the CERN Linear Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has been used extensively, in collaboration with several research institutes, to perform dosimetry studies and explore potential applications of VHEE beams to radiotherapy, including the exploitation of the so called FLASH effect. In this paper, we present an overview of past studies with emphasis on the more recent results. We describe methods, techniques and equipment developed at CERN in this framework, and give an outlook on future activities., Proceedings of the 12th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil

The CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has now finished its second year of operation, providing a testbed for new accelerator technologies and a versatile radiation source. Hosting a varied experimental program, this beamline provides a flexible test facility for users both internal and external to CERN, as well as being an excellent accelerator physics training ground. The energy can be varied between 60 and 220 MeV, bunch length between 1 and 4 ps, bunch charge in the range 10 pC to 2 nC, and number of bunches in the range 1 to 200, at a repetition rate of 0.8 to 10 Hz. The status of the facility with an overview of the recent experimental results is presented., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

In this paper, possible mechanisms by which electrons can induce single-event latchups in electronics are discussed. The energy deposition and the nuclear fragments created by electrons in silicon are analyzed in this context. The cross section enhancement effect in the presence of high-Z materials is discussed. First experimental results of electron-induced latchups are shown in static random access memory devices with low linear energy transfer thresholds. The radiation hardness assurance implications and future work are discussed. peerReviewed

The High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will require unprecedented orbit stability at the low beta collision points (IP1 and IP5), and the effect of seismic noise might become a relevant source of luminosity loss. Many studies have been conducted in the past to characterise the actual ground motion in the LHC tunnel, and recently a few geo-phones have been installed to permanently monitor the ground stability at IP1 and IP5. An estimate of the impact of the main machine element vibration on orbit at the IPs and collimators is presented, together with a first look at the data collected by the installed geo-phones., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Here we investigate how inserts of various densities (0.001-2.2 g/cm³) affect the dose distribution properties of VHEE beams at ~150 MeV. A range variation comparison was also made with clinical proton beams using TOPAS/GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, we assess the viability of scattering foils for optimizing the size of VHEE beams for radiotherapy purposes. The experiments were conducted at CERN's CLEAR user facility., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

A fast and accurate simulation of Electron Cooling has recently been implemented in the tracking code RF-Track. The implementation, which is based on a "hybrid kinetic" model, enables the simulation of a large variety of realistic scenarios, including imperfections such as gradients in the electron density, misalignments of electrons / ions / solenoidal fields, both in the static and in the dynamic regimes. Benchmarks of the simulations against measurements performed at LEIR, using Lead and Xenon ions, are presented., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The new "CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research" (CLEAR) facility at CERN started its operation in fall 2017. CLEAR results from the conversion of the CALIFES beam line of the former CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) into a new testbed for general accelerator R&D and component studies for existing and possible future accelerator applications. CLEAR can provide a stable and reliable electron beam from 60 to 220 MeV in single or multi bunch configuration at 1.5 GHz. The experimental program includes studies for high gradient acceleration methods, e.g. for CLIC X-band and plasma technology, prototyping and validation of accelerator components, e.g. for the HL-LHC upgrade, and irradiation test capabilities for characterization of electronic components and for medical applications. An overview of the facility capabilities and a summary of the latest results will be presented., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

A new CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (named CLEAR) has been installed as a general-purpose user facility to study novel accelerating techniques, high-gradient structures, instrumentation and irradiation experiments. CLEAR is a flexible accelerator that can provide high quality bunched electron beams with a wide range of beam parameters up to an energy of 220 MeV, offering several testing capabilities. Among all the potential applications, novel accelerating techniques, such as plasma acceleration and THz generation are considered. These applications require shorter bunches, down to the 100 fs level. This paper reports on beam dynamics studies and instrumentation tests to establish a bunch length of this order in CLEAR. The short bunches are generated using adiabatic bunching in the first accelerating structure. For bunch length diagnostic CLEAR is equipped with a streak camera and a transverse deflecting cavity. Alternatively a phase-scan of the last accelerating structure could be used as well to estimate the bunch length. The experimental results with respect to these different techniques are presented and compared with simulations., Proceedings of the 29\textsuperscript{th} Linear Accelerator Conf., LINAC2018, Beijing, China

In this paper, we perform an in-depth analysis of the single-event effects observed during testing at medical electron linacs and an experimental high-energy electron linac. For electron irradiations, the medical linacs are most commonly used due to their availability and flexibility. Whereas previous efforts were made to characterize the cross sections at higher energies, where the nuclear interaction cross section is higher, the focus of this paper is on the complete overview of relevant electron energies. Irradiations at an electron linac were made with two different devices, with a large difference in feature size. The irradiations at an experimental linac were performed with varying energies and intensities to omit other possible effects. peerReviewed

In 2016, CLIC implementation working groups have started their reflection on how to finalize the CLIC design work in the different areas of the project, aiming for a technical design and an overall implementation plan for CLIC being available for the next European Strategy Update around 2019. One of the working groups has focused its attention on the Main Linac hardware, which has brought together the different competences of the study with the aim of producing an advanced set of specifications for the design, installation and operation of the CLIC module. As the fundamental unit for the construction of the Main Beam linac, the CLIC module needs to move from the existing prototypes exploring its performance into an advanced and functional unit where the full life cycle of the module is considered. The progress of the working group activity is summarized in this paper, with considerations on the requirements for the design of the next-phase CLIC module., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

One of the goals of the CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) at CERN is to demonstrate the feasibility of the CLIC Drive Beam recombination, which takes place in the Drive Beam Recombination Complex (DBRC). The tight geometry of the DBRC together with its strong optics and the high energy-spread of the beam require a careful control of the beam size along the different sections of the DBRC. One of the main contribution to beam size is the dispersion. If uncontrolled, dispersion leads to fast increase of the beam size, hence it may affect the beam current stability of the combined beam. A tool has been implemented at CTF3 to measure and correct dispersion during and after the setup of the machine. Dispersion Free Steering (DFS) has been applied in the upstream drive beam LINAC, while Dispersion Target Steering (DTS) has been used in the rings of the DBRC. In the LINAC the weak optics and the wide dynamic aperture of the beamline allow a straightforward correction. In the DBRC the aperture is tighter, and the strong optics produce non-linear dispersion which one needs to take into account. A general overview of current status and future plans in controlling dispersion at CTF3 will be presented., Proceedings of the 28th Linear Accelerator Conf., LINAC2016, East Lansing, MI, USA

The RF breakdown rate is crucial for the luminosity performance of the CLIC linear collider. The required breakdown rate at the design gradient of 100 MV/m has been demonstrated, without beam presence, in a number of 12 GHz CLIC prototype structures. Nevertheless, the beam-loading at CLIC significantly changes the field profile inside the structures, and the behaviour with beam needs to be understood. A dedicated experiment in the CLIC Test Facility CTF3 to determine the effect of beam on the breakdown rate has been collecting breakdown data throughout the year 2016. The complete results of the experiment and the effect of the beam-loading on the breakdown rate are presented., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

One of the objective of the CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) at CERN is to demonstrate the CLIC Drive Beam Recombination concept. An accurate control of the transverse beam parameters is necessary in order to succeed in preserving the beam quality after the recombination. During the activity of the facility we improved our tools and technique for characterising the transverse phase space of the beam before and after recombination. The common quadrupole scan technique was improved by performing constant-beam-size measurement and it was enriched by a tomographic reconstruction of the phase-space. Moreover studies have been performed in order to estimate and subtract the impact of dispersion on such a measurements. An overview of these techniques will be presented with actual measurements performed over the last year of operations of the facility., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The unique CLIC TEST Facility (CTF3) has been built more than a decade ago to demonstrate the feasibility of the CLIC two beam acceleration scheme. The emphasis was one the high current drive beam generation using a fully loaded highly efficient linac and a complex combination scheme to increase beam current and bunch repetition frequency. This drive beam has been used for deceleration experiments and two beam acceleration. A wealth of relevant results for accelerator physics even beyond CLIC has been obtained and will be presented. The rf to beam efficiency of the linac exceeds 95%, after combination the 28 A drive beam with 12 GHz bunch repetition rate has been used to extract more than 50% of its energy producing 1.3 GW of 12 GHz power as well as performing two beam acceleration at 12 GHz with gradients up to 150 MV/m., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The CLIC design relies on the two-beam acceleration principle, i.e. the energy transfer from the so called drive beam to the main colliding beams. At the CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) at CERN the feasibility of this principle is being tested in terms of performance and achievable specifications. The high-current drive beam is generated by recombining its parts in a delay loop and a combiner ring. Preserving the drive beam emittance during the recombination process is crucial to ensure beam-current and power production stability. Present theoretical and experimental studies show that non-linear energy dependence of the transverse optics heavily spoils the quality of the recombined beam. Conventionally these effects are cured by means of non-linear corrections using sextupoles. In this work we propose a mitigation of these effects by optimising the linear lattice, leading to a more robust and easy to operate drive beam recombination complex. The latest results are presented., Proceedings of the 7th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2016, Busan, Korea

For the very low emittance beams in CLIC, it is vital to mitigate emittance growth which leads to reduced luminosity in the detectors. One factor that leads to emittance growth is transverse wakefields in the accelerating structures. In order to combat this the structures must be aligned with a precision of a few um. For achieving this tolerance, accelerating structures are equipped with wakefield monitors that measure higher-order dipole modes excited by the beam when offset from the structure axis. We report on such measurements, performed using prototype CLIC accelerating structures which are part of the module installed in the CLIC Test Facility 3 (CTF3) at CERN. Measurements with and without the drive beam that feeds rf power to the structures are compared. Improvements to the experimental setup are discussed, and finally remaining measurements that should be performed before the completion of the program are summarized., Proceedings of the 7th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2016, Busan, Korea