Detailed analysis of the baseline dose levels and localized radiation spikes in the arc sections of the Large Hadron Collider during Run 2

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has eight insertion regions (IRs) which house the large experiments or accelerator equipment. These IRs are interconnected with the arc sections consisting of a periodic magnet structure. During the operation of the LHC small amounts of the beam particles are lost, creating prompt radiation fields in the accelerator tunnels and the adjacent caverns. One of the main loss mechanisms in the LHC arc sections is the interaction of the beam particles with the residual gas molecules. The analysis of the dose levels based on the beam loss measurement data shows that the majority of the measurements have similar levels, which allow to define baseline values for each arc section. The baseline levels decreased during the years 2015, 2016 and stabilised in 2017 and 2018 at annual dose levels below 50 mGy, which can be correlated with the residual gas densities in the LHC arcs. In some location of the arcs radiation spikes exceed the baseline by more than two orders of magnitude. In addition to the analysis of these dose levels a novel approach of identifying local dose maxima and the main driving mechanisms creating these radiation spikes will be presented.