Laser based stripping system for measurement of the transverse emittance of H-beams at the CERN Linac4

The new LINAC4 at CERN will accelerate H- particles to 160 MeV and allow high brightness proton beam transfers to the Proton Synchrotron Booster, via a charge-exchange injection scheme. This paper describes the conceptual design of a laser system proposed for transverse profile and emittance measurements based on photon detachment of electrons from the H- ions. The binding energy of the outer electron is only 0.75 eV and can easily be stripped with a laser beam. Measuring the electron signal as function of the laser position allows the transverse beam profile to be reconstructed. A downstream dipole can also be used to separate the laser neutralized H0 atoms from the main H- beam. By imaging these H0 atoms as a function of laser position the transverse emittance can be reconstructed in the same way as in traditional slit-and-grid systems. By properly dimensioning the laser power and spot size, this method results in negligible beam losses and is therefore non-destructive. In addition, the absence of material intercepting the H- beam allows the measurement of a full power H- beam. This paper will focus on the general design and integration of both the laser and H0 detector systems.