Longitudinal coupled bunch instabilities in the CERN PS represent a major limitation to the high brightness beam delivered for the LHC. To identify possible impedance sources for these instabilities, machine development studies have been carried out. The growth rates of coupled bunch modes have been measured, and modes have been identified using mountain range data. Growth rate estimations from coupled bunch mode theory are compared to these results. It is shown that the longitudinal impedance of the broad resonance curve of the main 10 MHz RF system can be identified as the most probable source. Several modes are driven simultaneously due to the large width of the resonance, which is considered for the analysis.

The LHC will, in addition to proton runs, be operated with Pb ions and provide collisions at energies of 5.5 TeV per nucleon pair, i.e. more than 1.1 PeV per event, to experiments. The transformation of CERN’s ion injector complex (Linac3-LEIR-PS-SPS) to allow collision of ions in LHC in 2008 is well under way. The status of these modifications and the latest results of commissioning will be presented. The remaining challenges are reviewed.

The longitudinal emittance of the bunches in the CERN PS must be increased before transition crossing to avoid beam loss due to a fast vertical instability. This controlled blow-up is essential for all high-intensity beams in the PS, including those for transfer to the LHC. The higher harmonic 200 MHz RF system (six cavities) used for this blow-up has to generate a total RF voltage which, for the most demanding blow-up, is comparable to the voltage of the main RF cavities. The system is presently subject to a major upgrade and a possible reduction in the number of higher harmonic RF cavities installed is under consideration. To determine the minimum required, detailed simulations and machine development studies to optimize the longitudinal blow-up have been performed. Further options to produce the required longitudinal emittance using other RF systems are also analyzed. The results obtained for the different scenarios for the longitudinal blow-up are presented and compared in this paper.

First electron cooling experiments were performed with 107 to 2×109 stored antiprotons of 50, 21 and 6 MeV at the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at CERN. Most effort was put into the study of the longitudinal cooling. Schottky pick-up signals were used to measure the equilibrium momentum spread and the longitudinal cooling time. From the equilibrium between stochastic heating and electron cooling the longitudinal friction force in the low 103 m/s relative velocity range could be deduced. This method was used also to increase the cooling force by improving the alignment between the antiproton and the electron beam. Some of the experimental data are compared with results of a simulation program for electron cooling (SPEC).

The first results are presented of electron cooling experiments in the Low-Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at CERN, performed with a proton beam of about 50 and 21 MeV. The number of stored protons ranged from 107 to 3 × 109. Cooling times of the order 1 s and proton drag rates of up to 0.7 MeV/s were obtained. The capture of cooling electrons by protons producing hydrogen atoms was used to derive an effective electron temperature (0.25 eV). From the angular profile of the neutral hydrogen beam an upper limit of 3π mm.mrad could be deduced for the horizontal equilibrium proton-beam emittance. The lowest equilibrium momentum spread was 2 × 105 (FWHM), as derived from the analysis of the longitudinal Schottky signal. This Schottky signal exhibited an unusual behaviour with beam intensity and under certain conditions showed a doublepeak structure which was associated with collective beam noise. For very cold beams transverse instabilities were observed, which resulted in a rapid spill-off of protons and a stabilization at lower intensities. The threshold of these instabilities was raised by heating the proton or the electron beam. The cooling of a bunched proton beam was investigated. The reduction of the proton momentum spread led to bunch lengths of about 2 m, containing 3 × 108 protons.

The motivation of using electron cooling in low-energy antiproton storage rings and the expected cooling performance are discussed. Results obtained recently, during the first operation of electron cooling in LEAR at CERN with a 50 MeV proton beam, are summarized, concerning in particular the equilibrium beam properties, the recombination between cooling electrons and cooled protons, and the deceleartion of acceleration of protons by friction in the electron beam. Conclusions are drawn for the formation of antihydrogen with the cooled antiproton beam, and for the deceleration of antiprotons to energies close to or below 1 MeV.

Recent work on the electron cooling device at the CERN Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) is summarized. This included an improvement of the collector performance and of the vacuum. Relations between the different cooler parameters were measured with a view to simplifying the control system. Results of vacuum tests performed before the installation in LEAR are presented, and a short description of the status of the cooling device after its installation is given.