Results of UFO Dynamics Studies with Beam in the LHC

Micrometer sized particles entering the LHC beam (the so-called Unidentified Falling Objects or UFOs) are a known cause of localized beam losses since the beginning of high intensity beam operation, however the origin of these particles is not fully known. Their effect limits LHC availability by causing premature dumps due to excessive beam losses and occasionally even magnet quenches. This could become an important limitation for future accelerators such as the High Luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC) and the Future Circular Collider (FCC). The dynamics of these UFOs was investigated in two dedicated experiments. In the first experiment, it was shown that the transverse movements of these particles can be studied by observing bunch-by-bunch losses from bunches with different horizontal and vertical emittances. In the second experiment, UFO-like events around the 16L2 interconnect in the LHC, which has seen intense UFO activity in 2017, were studied with the above method. This paper summarizes the results of both experiments.