• J.A. Uythoven, E. Carlier, L. Ducimetière, B. Goddard, V. Kain, N. Magnin
  CERN, Geneva

The LHC beam dump system was commissioned with beam in 2009. This paper describes the operational experience with the kicker systems and the tests and measurements to qualify them for operation. The kicker performance was characterized with beam by measurements of the kicker waveforms using bunches extracted at different times along the kicker sweep. The kicker performance was also continuously monitored for each pulse with measurement and analysis of each kick pulse, allowing diagnostic of errors and of long-term drifts. The results are described and compared to the expectations.

• M.J. Barnes, L. Ducimetière, B. Goddard, C. Heßler, V. Mertens, J.A. Uythoven
  CERN, Geneva

Proton and ion beams will be injected into LHC at 450 GeV by two kicker magnet systems, producing magnetic field pulses of up to 7.8 μs flat top duration with rise and fall times of not more than 900 ns and 3 μs, respectively. Both systems are composed of four traveling wave kicker magnets, powered by pulse forming networks. One of the stringent design requirements of these systems is a field flat top and post pulse ripple of less than ±0.5 %. A carefully matched high bandwidth system is required to obtain the stringent pulse response. Screen conductors are placed in the aperture of the kicker magnet to provide a path for the image current of the, high intensity, LHC beam and screen the ferrite against Wake fields: these conductors affect the field pulse response. Recent injection tests provided the opportunity to directly measure the shape of the kick field pulse with high accuracy using a pilot beam. This paper details the measurements and compares the results with predictions and laboratory measurements.

• M.J. Barnes, L. Ducimetière, J.A. Uythoven
  CERN, Geneva

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) study is exploring the scheme for an electron-positron collider with high luminosity (10³⁴ - 10³⁵ cm²/s) and a nominal centre-of-mass energy of 3 TeV: CLIC would complement LHC physics in the multi-TeV range. The CLIC design relies on the presence of Pre-Damping Rings (PDR) and Damping Rings (DR) to achieve the very low emittance, through synchrotron radiation, needed for the luminosity requirements of CLIC. In order to limit the beam emittance blow-up due to oscillations the combined flat-top ripple and droop of the field pulse, for the DR extraction kickers, must be less than 0.015%. In addition, the allowed beam coupling impedance for the kicker systems is also very low: a few Ohms longitudinally and a few MΩ/m transversally. This paper discusses initial ideas for achieving the extremely demanding requirements for the PDR and DR kickers.

• V. Senaj, L. Ducimetière, E. Vossenberg
  CERN, Geneva

The vertical beam dump system of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) uses two matched magnets with an impedance of 2 Ω and combined kick strength of 1.152 Tm at 60 kV supply voltage. For historical reasons the two magnets are powered from three 3 Ω pulse forming networks (PFN) through three thyratron-ignitron switches. Recently flashovers were observed at the entry of one of the magnets, which lead, because of the electrical coupling between the kickers, to a simultaneous breakdown of the pulse in both magnets. To improve the reliability an upgrade of the system was started. In a first step the radii of surfaces at the entry of the weak magnet were increased, and the PFN voltage was reduced by 4 %; the kick strength could be preserved by reducing the magnet termination resistance by 10 %. The PFNs were protected against negative voltage reflections and their last cells were optimised. In a second step the two magnets will be electrically separated and powered individually by new 2 Ω PFNs with semiconductor switches.