The CERN SPS Low Level RF upgrade project

The High Luminosity LHC project (HL-LHC) calls for the doubling of the beam intensity injected from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This is not possible with the present RF system consisting of four 200 MHz cavities. An upgrade was therefore launched, consisting of the installation of two more cavities during the machine shutdown in 2019-2020 (LS2). Installation of more cavities requires the installation of extra Low Level RF (LLRF) electronics. The present LLRF system consists of the original equipment installed in the 1970s, plus some additions dating from the late 1990s when the SPS was commissioned as LHC injector. The High-Power RF upgrade has motivated a complete renovation of the LLRF during LS2; use of a MicroTCA platform, use of a digital deterministic link for synchronization (the so-called White Rabbit), use of an absolute clock for the processing, new algorithms for reducing the cavity impedance, and a complete re-design of the beam control loops and slip-stacking.