Possible Problems in Phase A.2:

  1. Very low lifetime (few tens of turns)
    • Causes: Thin obstacle (a "phantom" valve or other objects with thickness in the mm range, pressure bumps), poor optics control, strong non-linear effects (e.g. MS not powered properly).
    • Diagnostic tools: check performance with probe pilot beam (with small transverse and longitudinal emittances), BLMs, mobile BLMs and display, BPM intensity mode, radiation survey piquet, systematic optics measurements from orbit response analysis
    • Remedies: Obstacle removal, optics correction, leak fixes
    • Issues: Activation of components at problem location - cool-down times

     

  2. Large coupling
    • Causes: Magnet model uncertainty, wrong MQS settings, polarity/cabling errors, calibration errors
    • Diagnostic tools: Cross-plane orbit response with local bumps at the MQS
    • Remedies: Correction from measurements
    • Issues: Analysis tools

     

  3. Large chromaticity
    • Causes: Magnet model uncertainty, wrong MS settings, polarity/cabling errors, calibration errors
    • Diagnostic tools: Phase advance along the ring versus momentum offset
    • Remedies: Correction from measurements
    • Issues: Analysis tools

     

  4. Large path-length difference (> 5mm) between beam 1 and beam 2, leading to large offsets after capture
    • Causes: Differences in Bdl among apertures larger than expected
    • Diagnostic tools: Measure the revolution frequency of the 2 beams with RF off
    • Remedies:
      • Need to have different SPS extraction magnetic fields for beam 1 and beam 2 (2 different cycles) if we want to keep the same RF frequency.
      • We can run with two different frequencies in the 2 LHC rings and resynchronize at high energy. In which case the two beams might slide with respect to each other. This is however not a problem in this Phase, while the beams are still separated.

     

  5. Low capture efficiency
    • Causes: RF voltage might be smaller than expected, if there is wrong phasing of the cavities (preadjustment problem)
    • Remedies: Perform step A.2.7.3 (check phasing of the cavity sum)