Measurement of the Energy Distribution Function of Electrons Generated by Radio-frequency Induced Multipacting in a Beam Pipe

The development of Electron Multipacting (EM) in high intensity particle accelerators depends, amongst others, on the Secondary Electron Yield (SEY) of surfaces facing the beam. In-situ studies of electron clouds in particle accelerators must cope with operation schedule and other technical constrains. To overcome these difficulties, CERN implemented a Multipactor test bench, where EM is generated by Radio-Frequency (RF), using the beam pipes as a coaxial resonators. This tool was already successfully used to assess the effectiveness of low SEY carbon coatings on dipoles of the SPS at CERN and to study the conditioning dynamics of beam pipes. In this paper we present the development of an in-house built Retarding Field Energy Analyser (RFEA) to measure the Electrons Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) in the Multipactor test bench. The design of the electrodes was based on simulations in order to optimize sensitivity and energy resolution. The setup was tested with an electron gun at different energies before insertion in the Multipactor test bench. The evolution of the EEDF is measured at different RF powers. Feasibility to perform measurements in the machine is discussed.