Cavity Control Modelling for SPS-to-LHC Beam Transfer Studies

To accurately simulate injection losses in the LHC and the High-Luminosity LHC era, a realistic beam distribution model at SPS extraction is needed. To achieve this, the beam-loading compensation by the SPS cavity controller has to be included, as it modulates the bunch positions with respect to the rf buckets. This dynamic cavity control model also allows generating a more realistic beam halo, from which the LHC injection losses will mainly originate. In this paper, the implementation of the present SPS cavity controller in CERN’s Beam Longitudinal Dynamics particle tracking code is described. Just like in the machine, the feedback and feedforward controls are included in the simulation model, as well as the generator-beam-cavity interaction. Benchmarking against measurements of the generated beam distributions at SPS extraction are presented.