RHIC Performance with Polarized Protons in Run-6

Abstract

The RHIC polarized proton run (Run‐6) in 2006 started on February 1 and continued for 21 weeks. The Run‐6 included the machine operation at different beam energies and with different orientation of beam polarization at the collision points. The machine operation at 100GeV and 31.2 GeV provided physics data of polarized proton collisions to the STAR, PHENIX and BRAHMS experiments. Record levels of the luminosity (up to 3.5⋅1031 cm−2 s−1 peak) and proton beam polarization (up to 65%) were achieved during the 100GeV operation. The beam polarization was preserved during the acceleration by using Siberian Snakes, based on helical magnets. The polarization orientation at STAR and PHENIX experiments was controlled with helical spin rotators. During different stages of the run the physics data were provided with longitudinal, vertical and horizontal orientations of the beam polarization at the collision points. Total luminosity integrals of 45 pb−1 at 100 GeV and 0.35 pb−1 at 31.2 GeV were delivered to the experiments.