Fermilab, Batavia, USA
The Recycler ring at Fermilab served as a repository of 8 GeV antiprotons destined for collision in the Tevatron, a proton-antiproton collider. From 2005 to 2011, the world’s only relativistic electron cooling system was used to cool the antiprotons for accumulation and preparation of bunches before injection into the collider ring. With a 4.3 MeV, 0.1 A DC electron beam, a weak continuous longitudinal magnetic field in the cooling section and lumped focusing elsewhere, this unique electron cooler allowed for significant improvements in the Tevatron luminosity, yet also presented numerous challenges, such as achieving reliable operation of a high-voltage, high-power electrostatic accelerator in a high-current recirculation mode. In this paper, we discuss the experience of running this unique machine.
