Damage experiment with superconducting sample coils - experimental setup and observations during beam impact

Abstract

The damage mechanisms and limits of superconducting accelerator magnets due to the impact of high-intensity particle beams have been subject to extensive studies in the past years at CERN. Recently an experiment with dedicated sample coils made from Nb–Ti and Nb3Sn strands was performed at CERN’s HiRadMat facility. This paper describes the design and construction of the sample coils as well as the results of their qualification before the beam impact. In addition, the experimental setup will be discussed. Finally, measurements during the beam experiment like the beam-based alignment, the observations during the impact of 440GeV protons on the sample coils and the achieved hot-spots and temperature gradients will be presented.