Barrier bucket studies in the CERN PS

Part of the residual beam loss during the Multi-Turn Extraction (MTE) of fixed target beams from the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) can be attributed to kicker magnets switching while the beam is coasting with the main radio frequency (RF) systems off before extraction. Generating a barrier bucket to deplete the longitudinal line density of the coasting beam during the kicker rise time can reduce these losses. Beam tests have been performed with an existing Finemet® cavity in the PS, which is normally operated as a wide-band feedback kicker. To drive the cavity, a beam synchronous waveform synthesizer based on programmable logic has been developed. It produces a pre-distorted signal which ideally results in a single period sinusoidal voltage pulse with programmable parameters at the gap of the cavity, once or multiple times per revolution. The modelling of the behaviour of the power amplifier and the cavity is essential to achieve an anti-symmetric voltage pulse with little pre- and post-pulse ripple. The design of the beam-synchronous waveform generator is presented together with results from initial beam studies with the created barrier buckets in the PS.