Progress Toward a Dynamic Extraction Bump for Slow Extraction in the CERN SPS

The possibility of reducing the angular spread of slow extracted particles with a time-dependent extraction bump at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is under investigation. In order to create this so-called dynamic bump, two orthogonal knobs were designed to enable independent movements of the beam in position and angle at the upstream end of the electrostatic extraction septum (ES). With the present slow extraction scheme, simulations show that the use of a dynamic bump can reduce the angular spread at the ES by roughly a factor two and reduce beam loss on the ES. A reduction in the angular spread is also a prerequisite to exploit the full potential of other loss reduction techniques being considered for implementation at the SPS, like the active or passive diffusers planned for installation upstream of the ES in 2018. In this paper, the simulated loss reduction with a dynamic bump alone or in combination with other loss reduction techniques will be assessed, the first beam-based tests of the dynamic bump presented, the details of its implementation examined and its potential for future operation at the SPS discussed.