• D. Trbojevic, J. Beebe-Wang, X. Chang, Y. Hao, A. Kayran, V. Litvinenko, B. Parker, V. Ptitsyn, N. Tsoupas
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York
• E. Pozdeyev
  FRIB, East Lansing, Michigan

We present a medium-energy (4 GeV) electron ion collider (MeRHIC) lattice design for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). MeRHIC represents a staged approach towards the higher energy eRHIC, with MeRHIC hardware being reused for eRHIC. The lattice design includes two Energy Recovery Linacs (ERLs), multiple isochronous arcs connected to the ERLs, an interaction region design, a low energy ERL with a polarized electron source, and connecting beam lines.

* V. Litvinenko, proceedings from this conference.

• M.G. Minty, R.L. Hulsart, A. Marusic, R.J. Michnoff, V. Ptitsyn, G. Robert-Demolaize, T. Satogata
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

For improved reproducibility of good operating conditions and ramp commissioning efficiency, new dual-plane slow orbit feedback during the energy ramp was implemented during run-10 in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The orbit feedback is based on steering the measured orbit, after subtraction of the dispersive component, to either a design orbit or to a previously saved reference orbit. Using multiple correctors and beam position monitors, an SVD-based algorithm is used for determination of the applied corrections. The online model is used as a basis for matrix computations. In this report we describe the feedback design, review the changes made to realize its implementation, and assess system performance.

• Y. Hao, V. Litvinenko, V. Ptitsyn
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

Beam-beam effects in eRHIC have a number of unique features, which distinguish them from both hadron and lepton colliders. Due to beam-beam interaction, both electron and hadron beams would suffer quality degradation or beam loss from without proper treatments. Those features need novel study and dedicate countermeasures. We study the beam dynamics and resulting luminosity of the characteristics, including mismatch, disruption and pinch effects on electron beam, in additional to their consequences on the opposing beam as a wake field and other incoherent effects of hadron beam. We also carry out countermeasures to prevent beam quality degrade and coherent instability.

• Y. Hao, J. Kewisch, V. Litvinenko, E. Pozdeyev, V. Ptitsyn, D. Trbojevic, N. Tsoupas
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

In this paper, we analyzed the linac optics design requirement for a multi-pass energy recovery linac (ERL) with one or more linacs. A set of general formula of constrains for the 2-D transverse matrix is derived to ensure design optics acceptance matching throughout the entire accelerating and decelerating process. Meanwhile, the rest free parameters can be adjusted for fulfilling other requirements or optimization purpose. As an example, we design the linac optics for the future MeRHIC (Medium Energy eRHIC) project and the optimization for enlarging the BBU threshold.

• V. Ptitsyn, M. Blaskiewicz, W. Fischer, R.C. Lee, S.Y. Zhang
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

A fast transition instability presents a limiting factor for ion beam intensity in RHIC. Several pieces of evidence show that electron clouds play an important role in establishing the threshold of this instability. In RHIC Runs 7 and 8 dedicated measurements of the instability, using different beam instrumentation tools (Button BPM, Wall Current Monitor, transition monitors) were done in order to observe the instability development over hundreds turns. The papers presents and discusses the results of those measurements in time and frequency domains.

• G. Wang, M. Blaskiewicz, A.V. Fedotov, Y. Hao, J. Kewisch, V. Litvinenko, E. Pozdeyev, V. Ptitsyn
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

We present our studies on various aspects of the beam dynamics in 'racetrack' design of the first stage electron-ion collider at RHIC (eRHIC), including transverse beam break up instabilities, electron beam emittance growth and energy loss due to synchrotron radiation, electron beam losses due to Touschek effects and residue gas scattering, beam-beam effects at the interaction region and emittance growth of ion beam due to electron bunch to bunch noises. For all effects considered above, no showstopper has been found.

• K.A. Brown, L. Ahrens, M. Bai, J. Beebe-Wang, M. Blaskiewicz, J.M. Brennan, D. Bruno, C. Carlson, R. Connolly, T. D'Ottavio, R. De Maria, K.A. Drees, W. Fischer, W. Fu, C.J. Gardner, D.M. Gassner, J.W. Glenn, Y. Hao, M. Harvey, T. Hayes, L.T. Hoff, H. Huang, J.S. Laster, R.C. Lee, V. Litvinenko, Y. Luo, W.W. MacKay, M. Mapes, G.J. Marr, A. Marusic, K. Mernick, R.J. Michnoff, M.G. Minty, C. Montag, J. Morris, S. Nemesure, B. Oerter, F.C. Pilat, V. Ptitsyn, G. Robert-Demolaize, T. Roser, T. Russo, P. Sampson, J. Sandberg, T. Satogata, V. Schoefer, C. Schultheiss, F. Severino, K. Smith, D. Steski, S. Tepikian, C. Theisen, P. Thieberger, D. Trbojevic, N. Tsoupas, J.E. Tuozzolo, G. Wang, M. Wilinski, A. Zaltsman, K. Zeno, S.Y. Zhang
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

Since the last successful RHIC Au+Au run in 2007 (Run7), the RHIC experiments have made numerous detector improvements and upgrades. In order to benefit from the enhanced detector capabilities and to increase the yield of rare events in the acquired heavy ion data a significant increase in luminosity is essential. In Run7 RHIC achieved an average store luminosity of <L>=12x10²⁶ cm^-2 s^-1 by operating with 103 bunches (out of 110 possible), and by squeezing to β*=0.8 m. Our goal for this year's run, Run10, was to achieve an average of <L>=27x10²⁶ cm^-2 s^-1. The measures taken were decreasing β* to 0.6 m, and reducing longitudinal and transverse emittances by means of bunched-beam stochastic cooling. In addition we introduced a lattice to suppress intra-beam scattering (IBS) in both RHIC rings, upgraded the RF system, and separated transition crossings in both rings while ramping. We present an overview of the changes and the results in terms of Run10 increased instantaneous luminosity, luminosity lifetime, and integrated luminosity.

• C. Montag, L. Ahrens, M. Bai, J. Beebe-Wang, M. Blaskiewicz, J.M. Brennan, K.A. Brown, D. Bruno, R. Connolly, T. D'Ottavio, K.A. Drees, A.V. Fedotov, W. Fischer, G. Ganetis, C.J. Gardner, J.W. Glenn, H. Hahn, M. Harvey, T. Hayes, H. Huang, P.F. Ingrassia, J.P. Jamilkowski, A. Kayran, J. Kewisch, R.C. Lee, D.I. Lowenstein, A.U. Luccio, Y. Luo, W.W. MacKay, Y. Makdisi, N. Malitsky, G.J. Marr, A. Marusic, M.P. Menga, R.J. Michnoff, M.G. Minty, J. Morris, B. Oerter, F.C. Pilat, P.H. Pile, E. Pozdeyev, V. Ptitsyn, G. Robert-Demolaize, T. Roser, T. Russo, T. Satogata, V. Schoefer, C. Schultheiss, F. Severino, M. Sivertz, K. Smith, S. Tepikian, P. Thieberger, D. Trbojevic, N. Tsoupas, J.E. Tuozzolo, A. Zaltsman, A. Zelenski, K. Zeno, S.Y. Zhang
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

During the second half of Run-9, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provided polarized proton collisions at two interaction points with both longitudinal and vertical spin direction. Despite an increase in the peak luminosity by up to 40%, the average store luminosity did not increase compared to previous runs. We discuss the luminosity limitations and polarization performance during Run-9.

• V. Ptitsyn, M. Bai, T. Roser
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

Polarized proton beams are accelerated in RHIC to 250 GeV energy with the help of Siberian Snakes. The pair of Siberian Snakes in each RHIC ring holds the design spin tune at 1/2 to avoid polarization loss during acceleration. However, in the presence of closed orbit errors, the actual spin tune can be shifted from the exact 1/2 value. It leads to corresponding shift of locations of higher-order ("Snake") resonances and limits available betatron tune space. The largest closed orbit effect on the spin tune comes from the horizontal orbit angle between the two snakes. During RHIC Run in 2009 dedicated measurements with polarized proton beams were taken to verify the dependence of the spin tune on the local orbits at the Snakes. The experimental results are presented along with the comparison with analytical predictions.