Investigation of the Periodic Magnetic Field Modulation Inside Apertures of LHC Superconducting Dipole Models

The windings of high-field accelerator magnets are usually made of Rutherford-type superconducting cables. The magnetic field distribution along the axis of such magnets exhibits a pronounced periodic modulation with a wavelength equal to the twist pitch length of the cable used in the winding. Such an effect, resulting from quasi-persistent currents, was investigated with a Hall probe array inserted inside the aperture of 1-metre long LHC superconducting dipole models. The amplitude and the time dependence of this periodic field oscillation have been studied as a function of the transport current history. The impact on the magnet stability of the non-uniform current redistribution producing such a field modulation is discussed.