Recent beam performance achievements with the Pb-ion beam in the SPS for LHC physics runs

In the SPS, which is the last accelerator in the LHC ion injector chain, multiple injections of the Pb-ion beam have to be accumulated. On this injection plateau the beam suffers from considerable degradation such as emittance growth and losses. This paper summarises the achievements on improving the beam parameters and maximising the performance of the Pb-ion beam for the LHC physics run in 2018. The results are discussed in view of the target beam parameters of the LHC injectors upgrade project, which is being deployed during the presently ongoing long shutdown.