Accelerator Report: An important upgrade to the PS radiofrequency system and a heavy‑ion run in full swing

Roderik Bruce, Alex Huschauer and Matteo Solfaroli

The 10 MHz RF system is also used for bunch splitting in the PS. This measurement shows the triple splitting for LHC-type beams, where each initial bunch is split into three.

In a particle accelerator, radiofrequency (RF) systems are among the crucial components that make beam production possible. While magnets guide the particles around the ring, RF systems provide the beam with its longitudinal structure: they accelerate it, keep it captured in bunches, shape it, split it, rotate it and ensure synchronisation for transfer to the next machine.

On 21 May, an eight-hour stop in the Proton Synchrotron (PS) allowed the SY-RF and SY-EPC teams to take an important step in the renovation of one of the PS’s most central systems: the 10 MHz RF cavities. Eleven such cavities are installed around the PS ring: ten are used for operation, while one is kept as a hot-swappable spare. These ferrite-based cavities are tuneable between 2.8 MHz and 10 MHz and are used across the PS beam portfolio.

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