LHC Cleaning Efficiency with Imperfections

The performance reach of the LHC depends on the magnitude of beam losses and the achievable cleaning efficiency of its collimation system. The ideal performance reach for the nominal Phase 1 collimation system is reviewed. However, unavoidable imperfections affect any accelerator and can further deteriorate the collimation performance. Multiple static machine and collimator imperfections were included in the LHC tracking simulations. Error models for collimator jaw flatness, collimator setup accuracy, the LHC orbit and the LHC aperture were set up, based to the maximum extent possible on measurements and results of experimental beam tests. It is shown that combined “realistic” imperfections can reduce the LHC cleaning efficiency by about a factor 11 on average.