Long-range beam–beam compensation using wires

At the LHC, the effect of unavoidable long-range beam–beam collisions reduces the dynamic aperture, calling for a minimum crossing angle. A wire compensator partially cancels the effect of the long-range collisions, and may allow operation with reduced crossing angle or decreased beta function at the interaction point, thereby increasing the (virtual) peak luminosity. In this chapter, we describe the proposed compensation scheme, previous validation experiments with a single beam and multiple wires at the SPS, simulations for the LHC high-luminosity upgrade, a demonstrator project with real long-range encounters foreseen in the LHC proper, and the possible use of a low-energy electron beam as a future ultimate “wire”.