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The SPS Beam Dump Facility (BDF) being studied as part of the Physics Beyond Colliders (PBC) CERN project has recently reached an important milestone with the completion of the comprehensive feasibility study. The BDF is a proposed fixed target facility to be installed in the SPS North Area, to accommodate experiments such as SHiP (Search for Hidden Particles), which is most notably aiming at studying hidden sector particles. This experiment requires a high intensity slowly extracted 400 GeV proton beam with 4·10¹³ protons per 1 s spill to achieve 4·10¹⁹ protons on target per year. The extraction and transport scheme will make use of the first 600 m of the existing North Area extraction line. This contribution presents the status of the design work of the new transfer line and discusses the challenges identified. Aperture studies and failure scenarios are treated and the results discussed. In particular, interlock systems aiming at protecting critical components against the uncontrolled loss of the high energy proton beam are considered. We also present the latest results and implications of the design of a new laminated Lambertson splitter magnet to provide fast switching between the current North Area experiments and the BDF., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

The energy distribution of electrons accelerated in the wake of a self-modulated proton beam is measured using a magnetic spectrometer at AWAKE. The spectrometer was commissioned in 2017 and ran successfully throughout 2018. Imaging properties of the spectrometer system are studied via a combination of simulations and linear optics models and validated using mono-energetic electrons stripped from the partially stripped ion beam in the AWAKE beamline at CERN. These and other details of the calibration and performance will be presented., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

Studies for the SPS Beam Dump Facility (BDF) are ongoing within the scope of the Physics Beyond Collider project. The BDF is a proposed fixed target facility to be installed in the SPS North Area, to accommodate the SHiP experiment (Search for Hidden Particles), which is most notably aiming at studying hidden sector particles. This experiment requires a high intensity slowly extracted 400 GeV proton beam with 4·10¹³ protons per 1 s spill to achieve 4·10¹⁹ protons on target per year. The extraction and transport scheme will make use of the first 600 m of the existing North Area extraction line. In this paper, we will present the design of the additional 600 m of transfer line towards BDF branching off from the existing line and discuss the detailed design of the BDF beam line, its components and optics. We present the latest results on the study and design of a new laminated Lambertson splitter magnet to provide fast switch between the current North Area experiments and the BDF. The latest specification of a dipole dilution system used to reduce the local peak power of the beam on the target is also presented., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) provides different types of beams at different extraction energies. The main magnets of the SPS are regulated with a current loop, but it has turned out that hysteresis effects from the main dipoles have a significant impact on reproducibility and hence efficiency and availability. Beam and machine parameters were found to depend on the programmed sequence of magnetic cycles - the so-called super cycle - representing the production of the different beams. The scientific program of the SPS requires frequent changes of the supercycle composition and the effect of the main magnet hysteresis has to be understood, modelled and used in accelerator control system. This paper summarises the first main field measurements carried out with the currently available systems during operational conditions as well as measurements of vital machine and beam parameters as a function of the super cycle composition. Finally, ideas will be presented to provide reproducibility by automatically correcting different parameters taking the magnetic history of the main magnets into account., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The ISOLDE facility at CERN produces radioactive isotopes far from stability for fundamental nuclear physics research. The radioactive beams are accelerated to high-energy using a post-accelerator before being transferred for study in different experiments at the end of a network of High Energy Beam Transfer (HEBT) lines. In the framework of the HIE-ISOLDE project, the energy of post-accelerated beams is to be increased to over 10 MeV/u and new experimental detectors are being proposed for installation to exploit the new energy regime. The stray magnetic fields associated with many of the new detectors will distort the beam trajectories in the HEBT, potentially affecting the transmission of the low intensity beams delivered to the experiments. In this contribution, the influence on the HEBT of the stray field of the proposed ISOL Solenoidal Spectrometer is discussed, correction schemes described and shielding options assessed., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The HIE-ISOLDE project* (High Intensity and Energy ISOLDE) reached an important milestone in September 2016 when the first physics run was carried out with radioactive beams at 6 MV/m. This is the first stage in the upgrade of the REX post-accelerator, whereby the energy of the radioactive ion beams was increased from 3 to 5.5 MeV per nucleon. The facility will ultimately be equipped with four high-beta cryomodule that will accelerate the beams up to 10 MeV per nucleon for the heaviest isotopes available at ISOLDE. The first 2 cryomodules of the new linac, hosting each five superconducting cavities and one solenoid, were commissioned in August 2016. Besides demonstrating the experimental capabilities of the facility, this successful first run validated the technical choices of the HIE ISOLDE team and provided a fitting reward for eight years of rigorous R&D efforts. At the start of 2018, HIE-ISOLDE is expected to complete the energy upgrade, reaching 10 MeV/u and becoming an attractive facility for a wide variety of experiments. This contribution will focus on the results of the commissioning and on the main technical issues that were highlighted., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The flux of particles slow extracted with the 1/3 integer resonance from the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN should ideally be constant over the length of the extraction plateau, for optimum use of the beam by the fixed target experiments. The extracted intensity is controlled in feed-forward correction of the horizontal tune via the main SPS quadrupoles. The Mains power supply noise at 50 Hz and harmonics is also corrected in feed-forward by small amplitude tune modulation at the respective frequencies with a dedicated additional quadrupole circuit. In 2016 the spill quality could be much improved with respect to the situation of the previous year with more performant algorithms. In this paper the improved tools are described and the characteristics of the SPS slow extracted spill in terms of macro structure and typical frequency content are shown. Other sources of perturbation were, however, also present in 2016 which frequently caused the spill quality to be much reduced. The different effects are discussed and possible or actual solutions detailed. Finally, the evolution of the spill quality during characteristic periods in the 2016 run is presented., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

This document summarises the key feasibility issues associated with the SPS extraction and beam transfer systems required for the SHiP facility. It describes the expected performance limits of the electrostatic septa, the expected beam losses during extraction and consequences, the design of the new beamline geometry and equipment systems and the expected extracted spill structure.

The AWAKE project at CERN is planned to study proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration. The proton beam from the SPS will be used in order to drive wakefields in a 10 m long Rb plasma cell. In the first phase of this experiment, scheduled in 2016, the self-modulation of the proton beam in the plasma will be studied in detail, while in the second phase an external electron beam will be injected into the plasma wakefield to probe the acceleration process. The installation of AWAKE in the former CNGS experimental area and the required optics flexibility define the tight boundary conditions to be fulfilled by the electron beam line design. The transport of low energy (10-20 MeV) bunches of 1.25·10⁹ electrons and the synchronous copropagation with much higher intensity proton bunches (3E11) determines several technological and operational challenges for the magnets and the beam diagnostics. The current status of the electron line layout and the associated equipments are presented in this paper., Proceedings of the 6th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2015, Richmond, VA, USA

This paper describes the design of the beam transfer line magnets of the HIE-ISOLDE facility. The technical solutions selected to face the challenges associated with the machine requirements are presented, and the final design parameters and field quality are reported., Proceedings of the 5th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2014, Dresden, Germany

The HIE-ISOLDE project aims at increasing the energy of the radioactive beams (RIB) of REX-ISOLDE from the present 3 MeV/u up to 10 MeV/u for A/q up to 4.5. This will be accomplished by means of a new superconducting linac, based on independently phased quarter wave resonators using the Nb sputtering on copper technology, and working at 101.28 MHz. The focusing elements are superconducting solenoids providing 13.5 T2m field integral. These active elements are contained in a common vacuum cryostat. The presentation will cover the status of advancement of the HIE-ISOLDE linac technical systems. The performance of the superconducting elements will be presented, together with the assembly work of the cryomodule in clean room and the planned qualification tests in the horizontal test facility at CERN

In the present proposal we present the need for improved proton and mixed-field irradiation facilities with slow beam extraction at CERN. Strong needs are expressed by both the detector and accelerator communities and concern the LHC operation era as well as the upgrades of machine and experiments. The current facilities and test areas have a number of limitations and drawbacks. Preliminary studies indicate that there are possibilities for a coherent and cost-effective approach towards improved facilities for the future. The aim of this document is to inform the LHCC and seek its recognition for the need of such facilities. In addition we would appreciate the support of the LHCC for pursuing further implementation studies at a PS East Hall location.

Amorphous carbon coatings with low secondary electron yield have been applied to the liners in the electron cloud monitors and to vacuum chambers of three dipole magnets in the SPS. The electron cloud is completely suppressed for LHC type beams in these monitors even after 3 months air venting and no performance deterioration is observed after more than one year of SPS operation. Upon variation of the magnetic field in the monitors the electron cloud current maintains its intensity down to weak fields of some 40 Gauss, where fast conditioning is observed. This is in agreement with dark traces observed on the RF shields between dipoles. The dynamic pressure rise has been used to monitor the behavior of the magnets. It is found to be about the same for coated and uncoated magnets, apart from a weak improvement in the carbon coated ones under conditions of intense electron cloud. Inspection of the coated magnet is foreseen in order to detect potential differences with respect to the coated monitors. Measurements of the stray fields outside the dipoles show that they are sufficiently strong to induce electron cloud in these regions., Proceedings of the 1st International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2010, Kyoto, Japan

The LHC injectors are being upgraded to meet the demanding beam specification required for High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) operation. In order to reduce the beam losses which can trigger the sensitive LHC beam loss interlocks during the SPS-to-LHC beam injection process, it is important that the beam tails are properly scraped away in the SPS. The current SPS tail cleaning system relies on a moveable scraper blade, with the positioning of the scraper adjusted over time according to the orbit variations of the SPS. A new robust beam tail cleaning system has been designed which will use a fixed scraper block towards which the beam will be moved by a local magnetic orbit bump. The design proposal is presented, together with the related beam dynamics studies and results from machine studies with beam.