LHC Collimation with Bent Crystals - LUA9

An experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of multi-stage collimation assisted by bent crystals in the Large Hadron Collider is proposed. Bent silicon crystals acting as primary collimators are expected to direct the beam halo promptly onto secondary absorbers thus ideally reducing outscattering, beam losses and the radiation load in critical regions of the ring. Extensive tests conducted by the UA9 Collaboration in the SPS and in H8 with proton and lead ion beams have shown that crystal-assisted collimation can improve the efficiency of a one-stage collimation system. The proposed experiment, called LUA9, has received full support from the CERN management, and expression of interest from three Russian Institutions (PNPI, IHEP, JINR), INFN, LAL-Orsay, Imperial College and SLAC (through the US LARP programme). This document reviews the scope, goals, organization, costs, manpower needed and the schedule of LUA9.