A simulation study of electron-cloud instability and beam-induced multipacting in the LHC

In the LHC beam pipe, photoemission and secondary emission give rise to a quasi-stationary electron cloud, which is established after a few bunch passages. The response of this electron cloud to a transversely displaced bunch resembles a short-range wakefield and can cause a fast instability [1]. In addition, beam-induced multipacting of the electrons may lead to an enhanced gas desorption and an associated pressure increase [2]. In this paper we report preliminary simulation results of the electron-cloud build-up both in a dipole magnet and in a straight section of the LHC at top energy. The effective wakefield created by the electron cloud translates into an instability rise time of about 25 ms horizontally and 130 ms vertically. This rise time is not much larger than that of the resistive-wall instability at injection energy.