Characterization of Crystals for Steering of Protons through Channelling in Hadronic Accelerators

Channeling of relativistic particles through a crystal may be useful for many applications in accelerators, and particularly for collimation in hadronic colliders. Efficiency proved to be dependent on the state of the crystal surface and hence on the method used for preparation. We investigated the morphology and structure of the surface of the samples that have been used in accelerators with high efficiency. We found that crystal fabrication by only mechanical methods (dicing, lapping, and others) leads to a superficial damaged layer, which is correlated to performance limitation in accelerators. A planar chemical etching was studied and applied in order to remove the superficial damaged layer. RBS channeling analysis with low-energy protons and 4He+ highlighted better crystal perfection at surface, as a result of the etching. A protocol for preparation and characterization of crystal for channelling has been developed, which may be of interest for reliable operation with crystals in accelerators.