Real-Time Tune Measurements on the CERN Antiproton Decelerator

A novel system for real-time tune measurement during deceleration of a low-intensity particle beam is presented. The CERN Antiproton Decelerator decelerates low intensity (2x107) antiproton beams from 3.5 GeV/c to 100 MeV/c. Because of the eddy-currents in the magnets, a tune-measurement during a pause in the deceleration would not be representative. One must thus be able to measure the tune in real time during the deceleration. The low intensity of the antiproton beam prevents the use of standard Schottky techniques, and swept Beam Transfer Function (BTF) measurements are too slow. A system was therefore developed which uses an M-shaped power spectrum, exciting the beam in a band around the expected frequency of a betatron side-band. Excitation at the betatron frequency, where beam response is highest, is thus minimized and measurements of BTF, and therefore the tune, can be made with much reduced emittance blow-up