Beam tests of MedAustron RF-jump at CERN’s PS Booster

MedAustron is a centre for ion beam cancer therapy (protons and carbon ions) and non-clinical research currently under construction in Wiener-Neustadt (Austria). MedAustron’s synchrotron Low-Level RF (LLRF) system is being developed in collaboration with CERN’s RF group. As part of the preparation of the beam for the betatron-core driven, horizontal third order slow resonant extraction, an RF-jump to the unstable phase must be executed which creates a uniform momentum spread of fixed width. A conceptual feasibility study of this RF-gymnastic was carried out during the 2012 run at CERN’s PS Booster (PSB). This consisted of several machine development sessions where the beam in PSB ring 4 was accelerated via a prototype Digital LLRF (DLLRF) system and a jump to the unstable phase and back was carried out in a controlled way. The aim of the study was to define the beam control features required to carry out this RF gymnastic and if possible to validate their implementation. This note describes the MedAustron slow extraction schemes as well as the PSB DLLRF test setup and results obtained. Potential applications for the PS Booster of the controlled jump to the unstable phase and back are also discussed, together with future plans.