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The HL-LHC Low Level RF (LLRF) must fulfill three requirements: it must reduce the cavity impedance at the fundamental below the instability threshold, it must regulate the crab cavity voltage precisely (amplitude and phase), and it must provide a cavity field with a spectral purity resulting in negligible degradation of the integrated luminosity due to transverse emittance growth. In this note, we present a LLRF system that fulfills these objectives. We then provide an estimate of the crab cavity RF noise spectrum for this LLRF system, a key parameter to evaluate transverse emittance growth.

Following new findings in beam dynamics and the latest HL-LHC project decisions, an operational scenario has been developed for the first HL-LHC run, Run 4. This new scenario is presented in this document along with the motivations for the proposed changes and performance estimates.

The CERN Linac4 Low Level RF (LLRF) uses a Linear Gaussian Regulator and an Adaptive Feed Forward to regulate the accelerating field in the cavities in the presence of strong beam loading. A Klystron Polar Loop is also implemented to compensate the RF perturbations caused by the ripples and droop in the klystron High Voltage supply. The talk presents the important parts of the regulation, shows results as the system has evolved from first prototype (2013) to operational beams (2020), and mentions some important issues encountered during the commissioning and the first years of operation, with their mitigations., Proceedings of the 31st International Linear Accelerator Conference, LINAC2022, Liverpool, UK

This paper is the third of a series of three on the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) Low Level RF (LLRF). Its focus is the upgrade concerned with the acceleration of Lead ions for injection into the LHC. Lead ions are far from relativistic at injection into the SPS. Therefore, the classic acceleration scheme at constant harmonic number (h=4620) does not work as the RF frequency swing does not fit within the cavity bandwidth. Fixed Frequency Acceleration (FFA) is therefore used. The upgraded LLRF uses a completely new implementation of the FFA, based on a Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) implemented as an FPGA IP in the Controller of each cavity. In addition, the 2022 scheme for LHC ions filling calls for slip stacking of two families of bunches, 100 ns spacing, to generate a 50 ns spacing after interleaving. The paper presents the key components for FFA and ions slip stacking as implemented in the new system, together with successful first tests performed in Autumn 2021., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

To provide HL-LHC performance, the CERN LHC injector chain underwent a major upgrade during an almost 2-year-long shutdown. In the first half of 2021 the injectors were gradually re-started with the aim to reach at least pre-shutdown parameters for LHC as well as for fixed target beams. The strategy of the commissioning across the complex, a summary of the many challenges and finally the achievements will be presented. Several lessons were learned and have been integrated to define the strategy for the performance ramp-up over the coming years. Remaining limitations and prospects for LHC beam parameters at the exit of the LHC injector chain in the years to come will be discussed. Finally, the emerging need for improved operability of the CERN complex will be addressed, with a description of the first efforts to meet the availability and flexibility requirements of the HL-LHC era while at the same time maximizing fixed target physics output., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

This paper is the second of a series of three on the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) Low Level RF (LLRF) upgrade. It covers the 200MHz Cavity-Controller part, that is responsible for the regulation of the accelerating field in a single SPS cavity. When the SPS is used as Large Hadron Collider (LHC) proton injector, the issue is the high beam loading that must be compensated to guarantee longitudinal stability and constant parameters over the bunch train. That calls for strong One-Turn Delay Feedback (OTFB) and Feed-Forward (FFWD). The SPS is also accelerating Lead ions (Pb). There the issue is Frequency-Modulation (FM) and Amplitude-Modulation (AM) over the turn (so called Fixed Frequency Acceleration - FFA) plus RF gymnastics for the new ions slip-stacking. The paper reviews the functional requirements, presents the block diagram, then gives details on the signal processing, firmware and hardware. Finally results from the first year of beam commissioning are presented (2021)., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

The Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) Low-level RF (LLRF) system at CERN was completely revamped in 2020. In the old system, the digital signal processing was clocked by a submultiple of the RF. The new system uses a fixed-frequency clock derived from White Rabbit (WR). This triggered the development of an eRTM module for generating very precise clock signals to be fed to the optional RF backplane in MTCA.4 crates. The eRTM14/15 sandwich of modules implements a WR node delivering clock signals with a jitter below 100 fs. WR-clocked RF synthesis inside the FPGA makes it simple to reproduce the RF elsewhere by broadcasting the frequency-tuning words over the WR network itself. These words are received by the WR2RF-VME module and used to produce beam-synchronous signals such as the bunch clock and the revolution tick. This paper explains the general architecture of this new LLRF system, highlighting the role of WR-based synchronization. It then goes on to describe the hardware and gateware designs for both modules, along with their supporting software. A recount of our experience with the deployment of the MTCA.4 platform is also provided., Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems, ICALEPCS2021, Shanghai, China

Crab Cavities are a key component of the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade, as they aim to minimize the luminosity reduction caused by the crossing angle. Two superconducting crab cavities were installed in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN in 2018 to test their operation in a proton machine for the first time. An important point to consider is the increase in transverse emittance induced by noise in the Low-Level RF (LLRF) system. During the first experimental campaign in 2018, the measured emittance growth was found to be a factor of 4 lower than predicted by the available analytical models. In this report, the effects of transverse beam impedance in the presence of CC LLRF noise on transverse emittance growth are presented and the results of the second experimental campaign, which took place in the SPS in 2021, are discussed., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

A new scenario for the first operational run of the HL-LHC era (Run 4) has been recently developed to accommodate a period of performance ramp-up to achieve an annual integrated luminosity close to the nominal HL-LHC design. The operational scenario in terms of beam parameters and machine settings, as well as the different phases, are described here along with the impact of potential delays on key hardware components., Proceedings of the 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2022, Bangkok, Thailand

Crab cavities will be installed at the two main interaction points (IP1 and IP5) of the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) in order to minimize the geometric reduction of the luminosity due to the crossing angle. Two prototype crab cavities have been installed into the SPS machine and were tested with a proton beam in 2018, to study the expected emittance growth induced by RF noise. The measured emittance growth was found to be a factor 2-3 lower than predicted from the available analytical and computational models. Damping mechanisms from the transverse impedance, which is not included in the available theories, are studied as a possible explanation for the observed discrepancy., Proceedings of the 12th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil

To accurately simulate injection losses in the LHC and the High-Luminosity LHC era, a realistic beam distribution model at SPS extraction is needed. To achieve this, the beam-loading compensation by the SPS cavity controller has to be included, as it modulates the bunch positions with respect to the rf buckets. This dynamic cavity control model also allows generating a more realistic beam halo, from which the LHC injection losses will mainly originate. In this paper, the implementation of the present SPS cavity controller in CERN’s Beam Longitudinal Dynamics particle tracking code is described. Just like in the machine, the feedback and feedforward controls are included in the simulation model, as well as the generator-beam-cavity interaction. Benchmarking against measurements of the generated beam distributions at SPS extraction are presented., Proceedings of the 12th International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2021, Campinas, SP, Brazil

As part of the LHC injector upgrade project (LIU), that calls for the doubling of the bunch intensity injected from the SPS into the LHC, the SPS Low Level RF (LLRF) is fully upgraded during the LHC Long-Shutdown 2 (LS2). A major issue is the compensation of the beam induced voltage (beam loading) in the 200 MHz Travelling Wave Cavities (TWCs). Uncompensated beam loading limits the intensity threshold above which longitudinal coupled bunch instabilities develop. The SPS beam consists of batches separated by gaps. Given the short cavity filling time, this results in a large transient of beam induced voltage along the batch, with resulting bunch-to-bunch variation of voltage and phase. The phase variation along the batch is a major concern for the alignment of the harmonic cavities used for Landau damping (800 MHz). The LLRF uses two systems for beam loading compensation: The One-Turn delay Feedback (OTFB) and the Feedforward. Both are implemented in I/Q coordinates. These systems are being developed now, for a restart of the SPS in early 2021. This Note derives equations for the I/Q representation of the Generator-Cavity-Beam interaction (TWC case) and then uses this formalism for the design of an optimal Feedforward system.

This note describes the power measurements at flat bottom with the half-detuning beam-loading scheme in the LHC performed with the aim to provide the basis for the extrapolation of the present RF power margins for Run 3 and the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). Due to the unavailability of HL-LHC beam currents for testing in the present LHC, as well as to the large error bars on power measurements, the maximum RF power available is estimated by determining the maximum RF voltage that can be maintained under several scenarios.

This note summarizes three inter-related machine development sessions that were performed in the LHC in the course of 2018. Long-lasting injection oscillations and beam stability at injection were investigated as a function of capture voltage in the MD 3164 on optimal injection voltage. The convergence of bunch lengths during the controlled emittance blow-up applied in the acceleration ramp was studied in the MD 3163. Finally, the bunch distribution at arrival to flat top was observed using peak-detected Schottky spectra in the MD 3166.

Crab cavities are an important component of the LHC upgrade, and will contribute strongly to achieving an increase in the number of recorded collisions. However, noise injected through the crab cavity Radio Frequency (RF) system could cause significant transverse emittance growth and limit luminosity lifetime. Estimates of the emittance growth rates in the HiLumi LHC, as well as a proposed dedicated feedback system to reduce the effect of crab cavity noise on emittance growth were presented in. In this work, the interaction of this proposed feedback with the Transverse Damper is studied.

The power consumption of the rf system can be minimised by optimising the cavity detuning and the loaded quality factor. In high-current accelerators, the presence of gaps in the filling results in a modulation of the cavity voltage along the ring (transient beam loading) and as a consequence a spread in the bunch parameters. In addition longitudinal coupled-bunch instabilities can appear, caused by the cavity impedance at the fundamental. Both issues can be mitigated by using an rf feedback around the amplifier and cavity, a technique used in many high intensity machines including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Compared to the LHC machine, the energy increase and the radiation loss for the Future Circular hadron-hadron Collider (FCC-hh) will be larger, resulting in a synchronous phase deviating significantly from 180 degrees. The solutions adopted for the LHC must therefore be revisited. This paper evaluates several beam loading compensation schemes for this machine., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

The LHC accelerating RF system consists of two cryomodules per beam, each containing four single-cell niobium sputtered 400.8 MHz superconducting cavities working at 4.5 K and an average accelerating voltage of 2 MV. The paper summarises the experience, availability and evolution of the system within 10 years of operation. The lessons learned from the successful replacement and re-commissioning of one cryomodule with a spare module, and the recent re-test of the originally installed module on the test stand are also included. Finally, a review of currently launched spare cavity production and long-term developments are presented., Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on RF Superconductivity, SRF2019, Dresden, Germany

The High Luminosity LHC project (HL-LHC) calls for the doubling of the beam intensity injected from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This is not possible with the present RF system consisting of four 200 MHz cavities. An upgrade was therefore launched, consisting of the installation of two more cavities during the machine shutdown in 2019-2020 (LS2). Installation of more cavities requires the installation of extra Low Level RF (LLRF) electronics. The present LLRF system consists of the original equipment installed in the 1970s, plus some additions dating from the late 1990s when the SPS was commissioned as LHC injector. The High-Power RF up-grade has motivated a complete renovation of the LLRF during LS2; use of a MicroTCA platform, use of a digital deterministic link for synchronization (the so-called White Rabbit), use of an absolute clock for the processing, new algorithms for reducing the cavity impedance, and a complete re-design of the beam control loops and slip-stacking., Proceedings of the 10th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2019, Melbourne, Australia

This work presents the transverse action and tune distribution evolution as a function of the Crab Cavity RF noise Power Spectral Density (PSD). In addition, it presents the potential for transverse tail cleaning through the deliberate injection of noise with an appropriate PSD. Such a procedure would be very beneficial since it would strongly reduce the transverse losses following a crab cavity trip, and could complement or substitute the electron lens approach.

This MD note summarizes the measurements performed to study persistent longitudinal oscillations after injection into the LHC. It was found that they build up due to mismatch, and can lead to particle losses and uncontrolled bunch lengthening. For the first time, profile measurements and ObsBox data acquisitions were triggered at injection to obtain first-turn data. The measurements took place on 16th September 2017 between 14:30 and 19:30, and between 27th November 2017 20:00 and 28th November 2017 04:00.

The main aim of this document is to have a clearly identified set of beam and machine parameters to be used for numerical simulations and performance assessment. Two scenarios (referring only to the operation at the nominal beam energy of 7 TeV) are discussed: i) Nominal scenario (levelling at a luminosity of 5E34 cm-2s-1) ii) Ultimate scenario (levelling at a luminosity of 7.5E34 cm-2s-1)

The HL-LHC upgrade includes sixteen Crab Cavities (CC) to be installed on both sides of the high luminosity experiments, ATLAS and CMS. Two issues have been highlighted for the Low Level RF: transverse emittance growth (and associated luminosity drop) caused by CC RF noise, and large collimator losses following a CC trip. A prototype cryomodule with two CCs has been installed in the SPS, and tests have started in May 2018 with beam. This paper briefly reports on preliminary results from the SPS tests. It then presents emittance growth calculations from cavity field phase and amplitude noise, deduces the maximum RF noise compatible with the specifications and presents a possible cure consisting of a feedback on CC phase and amplitude. To reduce the losses following a CC trip we propose to implement transverse tail cleaning via the injection of CC noise with an optimized spectrum, which selectively excites the particles of large transverse oscillation amplitudes., Proceedings of the 61\textsuperscript{st} ICFA ABDW on High-Intensity and High-Brightness Hadron Beams, HB2018, Daejeon, Korea

In 2017, the CERN accelerator complex once again demonstrated its flexibility by producing beams of a new ion species, xenon, that were successfully injected into LHC. On 12 October, collisions of fully stripped xenon nuclei were recorded for the first time in the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy per colliding nucleon pair of 5.44 TeV. Physics data taking started 9.5 h after the first injection of xenon beams and lasted a total of 6 h. The integrated luminosity delivered to the four LHC experiments was sufficient that new physics results can be expected soon. We provide a general overview of this Xe-Xe pilot run before focussing on beam data at injection energy and at flat-top., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Transient beam loading compensation schemes, such as One-Turn-FeedBack (OTFB), require beam synchronous processing (BSP). Swept clocks derived from the RF, and therefore harmonic to the revolution frequency, are widely used in CERN synchrotrons; this simplifies implementation with energy ramping, where the revolution frequency changes. It is however not optimal for state-of-the-art digital hardware that prefers fixed frequency clocks. An alternative to the swept clocking is the use of a deterministic protocol, for example, White Rabbit (WR): a fixed reference clock can be extracted from its data stream, while enabling digital distribution of the RF frequency among other data. New algorithms must be developed for BSP using this fixed clock and the digital data transmitted on the WR link. This is the strategy adopted for the SPS Low Level RF (LLRF) upgrade. The paper gives an overview of the technical, technological and historical motivations for such a paradigm evolution. It lists the problems of fixed clock BSP, and presents an innovative solution based on a real-time variable ratio re-sampler for implementing an OTFB with the new fixed clock scheme., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

In high-current accelerators, interaction of the beam with fundamental impedance of the accelerating cavities can limit machine performance. It can result in a significant variation of bunch-by-bunch parameters (bunch length, synchronous phase, etc.) and lead to longitudinal coupled-bunch instability. In this work, these limitations are analysed together with possible cures for the high-current option (Z machine) of the future circular electron-positron collider (FCC-ee). The time-domain calculations of steady-state beam loading are presented and compared with frequency-domain analysis., Proceedings of the 61\textsuperscript{st} ICFA ABDW on High-Intensity and High-Brightness Hadron Beams, HB2018, Daejeon, Korea

The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) crab cavities (CCs) will be installed on both sides of IP1 (ATLAS) and IP5 (CMS) to compensate for the geometric luminosity reduction due to the crossing angle. To cope with the increased beam current (0.55 A DC for LHC, 1.1 A for HL-LHC), the operation of the LLRF system has been changed: rather than fully compensating the transient beam loading, we allow the phase to vary along the turn (100 ps peak-peak with 1.1 A DC). This has been implemented at LHC since July 2017. The CCs have high loaded Q (5e5) and the available RF power is insufficient to follow the bunch phase modulation. The crabbing voltage is not modulated, causing a phase error w.r.t. the individual bunch centroids, leading to transverse kicks of the centroids and an asymmetric crabbing of the bunch cores. We present an analytical model for the resulting luminosity reduction and validate with particle tracking simulations. Due to the symmetry of the bunch filling patterns for the counter-rotating beams, the peak luminosity is reduced by only 2% for nominal HL-LHC parameters at IPs 1 and 5, which is within tolerable limits., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Vertex reconstruction is not accurate enough for LHCb when the bunch length in physics shrinks below about 0.9 ns. The end-of-fill MD studies presented here proved that bunch flattening using sinusoidal RF modulation is a loss-free method to increase the r.m.s. bunch length and flatten the bunch profile. Furthermore, the optimum modulation parameters to be used in physics have been identified. Subsequently, bunch flattening in physics was used operationally with a modulation frequency of 98.75 % of the central synchrotron frequency and 0.6 modulation amplitude, resulting in a 150-200 ps increase in the BQM-measured bunch length. A ‘mid-of-fill’ test at arrival to flat top revealed that also the bunch distribution created by the controlled emittance blow-up during the ramp is affected when bunch flattening is applied. The measurements took place on 17th June and the 4th, 7th and 22nd July 2016. Operational cases are shown as well.

The aim of the MDstudies presented here was to evaluate the imaginary part of the longitudinal impedance of the LHC by means of synchrotron frequency shift measurements. Single bunches with similar longitudinal emittance but different intensities were studied at flat top. Based on the beam parameters, a maximum shift of about 0.2 Hz was expected between the different bunches. A detailed analysis still needs to be carried out to determine the measured synchrotron frequency shift. The measurements took place between 8:00 p.m. on 26th and 2:00 a.m. on 27th July 2016

The purpose of this MD was to estimate the stability threshold due to longitudinal coupled-bunch instabilities (CBIs) driven by the RF cavities' fundamental impedance. These instabilities are not a concern for the LHC. A model was developed to study the stability threshold for the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The goal of this MD was to validate this model and thus its predictions for the HL-LHC stability margins.

The High Luminosity Upgrade for the LHC (HL-LHC) relies on crab cavities to compensate for the luminosity reduction due to the crossing angle of the colliding bunches at the interaction points. In this paper we present the simulation studies of cavity quenches and the impact on the beam. The cavity voltage and phase during the quench is determined from a simulation in Matlab and used to determine the impact on the beam from tracking simulations in SixTrack. The results of this study are important for determining the required machine protection and interlock systems for HL-LHC., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

For five of the LHC experiments the second p-Pb collision run planned in 2016 offered the opportunity to answer a range of important physics questions arising from the surprise discoveries (e.g., flow-like collective phenomena in small systems) made in earlier Pb-Pb, p-Pb and p-p runs. However the diversity of the physics and their respective capabilities led them to request very different operating conditions, in terms of collision energy, luminosity and pile-up. These appeared mutually incompatible within the available one month of operation. Nevertheless, a plan to satisfy most requirements was developed and implemented successfully. It exploited different beam lifetimes at two beam energies of 4 Z TeV and 6.5 Z TeV, a variety of luminosity sharing and bunch filling schemes, and varying beam directions. The outcome of this very complex strategy for repeated re-commissioning and operation of the LHC included the longest ever LHC fill with luminosity levelled for almost 38 h. The peak luminosity achieved exceeded the design value by a factor 7.8 and integrated luminosity substantially exceeded the experiments' requests., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

Longitudinal painting has been presented as an elegant technique to fill the longitudinal phase space at injection to the CERN PSB once it is connected with the new Linac4. Painting brings several advantages related to a more controlled longitudinal filamentation, lower peak line density and beating reduction, resulting in a smaller space-charge tune spread. This could be an advantage especially for high intensity beams (> 6·10¹² protons per bunch) to limit losses on the transverse acceptance of the machine. This paper presents an overview on the possible advantages of the technique for operational and test beams, taking care of the hardware limitations and possible failure scenarios., Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The LHC performance during the proton-lead run in 2016 fully relied on a permanent monitoring and systematic improvement of the beam quality in all the injectors. The beam production and characteristics are explained in this paper, together with the improvements realized during the run from the source up to the flat top of the LHC. Transmission studies from one accelerator to the next as well as beam quality evolution studies during the cycle at each accelerator, have been carried out and are summarized in this paper. In 2016, the LHC had to deliver the beams to the experiments at two different energies, 4 Z TeV and 6.5 Z TeV. The properties of the beams at these two energies are also presented, Proceedings of the 8th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2017, Copenhagen, Denmark

The LHC RF/LLRF system is currently configured for extremely stable RF voltage to minimize transient beam loading effects. The present scheme cannot be extended beyond nominal beam current since the demanded power would exceed the peak klystron power and lead to saturation. A new scheme has therefore been proposed: for beam currents above nominal (and possibly earlier), the cavity phase modulation by the beam will not be corrected (transient beam loading), but the strong RF feedback and One-Turn Delay feedback will still be active for loop and beam stability in physics. To achieve this, the voltage set point will be adapted for each bunch. The goal of this MD was to test a new algorithm that would adjust the voltage set point to achieve the cavity phase modulation that would minimize klystron forward power.

The aim of the MD studies presented here was to determine with a reasonable accuracy the single-bunch longitudinal stability threshold in the LHC. The measurements were performed by placing along the ring 8 or 20 ‘single’ bunches with different intensities but similar longitudinal emittances. Then they were accelerated and bunch stability was observed at arrival to flat top. Combining the results of two measurement sessions, the single bunch stability threshold is estimated to be (2.4 ± 0.2) × 10^11 ppb for an emittance of 1.89 eVs (1.0 ns) at 6.5 TeV with 12 MV RF voltage. Measurements were taken during the MD session MD472 from 22:00 on 20th to 05:00 on 21st July 2015 and session MD365 from 17:00 on 26th to 01:00 on 27th August 2015.

The LHC collimation system is designed to provide effective cleaning against losses coming from off-momentum particles, either due to un-captured beam or to an unexpected RF frequency change. For this reason the LHC is equipped with a hierarchy of collimators in IR3: primary, secondary and absorber collimators. After every collimator alignment or change of machine configuration, the off-momentum cleaning efficiency is validated with loss maps at low intensity. We describe here the improved technique used in 2015 to generate such loss maps without completely dumping the beam into the collimators. The achieved performance of the collimation system for momentum cleaning is reviewed., ALBA-Cells,AS,CEA Saclay,CERN,Cockcroft Institute,et al., peer-reviewed

The radiofrequency and transverse damper feedback systems of the Large Hadron Collider digitize beam phase and position measurements at the bunch repetition rate of 40 MHz. Embedded memory buffers allow a few milliseconds of full rate bunch-by-bunch data to be retrieved over the VME bus for diagnostic purposes, but experience during LHC Run I has shown that for beam studies much longer data records are desirable. A new "observation box" diagnostic system is being developed which parasitically captures data streamed directly out of the feedback hardware into a Linux server through an optical fiber link, and permits processing and buffering of full rate data for around one minute. The system will be connected to an LHC-wide trigger network for detection of beam instabilities, which allows efficient capture of signals from the onset of beam instability events. The data will be made available for analysis by client applications through interfaces which are exposed as standard equipment devices within CERN's controls framework. It is also foreseen to perform online Fourier analysis of transverse position data inside the observation box using GPUs with the aim of extracting betatron tune signals., Proceedings of the 15th Int. Conf. on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems, ICALEPCS2015, Melbourne, Australia

RF phase noise is purposely injected into the LHC 400 MHz RF system during the acceleration ramp for controlled longitudinal emittance blow-up, in order to maintain longitudinal beam stability. Although the operational blow-up works reliably, studies of the injected RF noise are desirable not only to allow for a better-controlled, more flexible blow-up, but also for other applications such as the mitigation of machine-component heating through appropriate bunch shaping. Concerning the noise injection, an alternative algorithm was developed and implemented in the hardware, but first tests revealed unexpected modulation of the achieved bunch length along the ring, and subsequently, theoretical studies have been launched. In this paper, we present a summary of ongoing measurement analysis and simulation studies that shall explain previous observations, predict what can be expected in different cases, and thus help to optimise the RF noise in general.

A superconducting 800 MHz second harmonic system is proposed for HL-LHC. It serves as a cure for beam instabilities with high beam currents by improving Landau damping and will allow for bunch profile manipulation. This can potentially help to reduce intra-beam-scattering, beam induced heating and e-cloud effects, pile-up density in the detectors and beam losses. An overview of the 800 MHz cavity design and RF power requirements is given. In particular the design parameters of the cavity shape and HOM couplers are described. Some other aspects such as RF power requirements and cryomodule layout are also addressed., Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on RF Superconductivity, SRF2015, Whistler, BC, Canada