High Luminosity LHC Hollow Electron Lens Collimation using MERLIN

The high luminosity large hadron collider (HL-LHC) upgrade envisions an unprecedented stored beam energy of up to 700 MJ. To protect the machine during operation, an efficient collimation system is vital. The hollow electron lens (HEL) is being explored as a possible collimation enhancer for the LHC, based on Tevatron designs and operational experience, for active halo control. A HEL produces a hollow cylindrical beam of electrons through which the accelerator (proton) beam travels, particles that overlap undergo an electromagnetic interaction. As they can operate close to the beam core without being damaged, HELs may serve as soft scraper devices. For the first time a HEL in high luminosity configuration is simulated in the HL LHC using the recently updated MERLIN 5 accelerator libraries. The effects on the LHC beam halo are observed for various HEL operation modes.