The achievable beam current and beam quality of a particle accelerator can be limited by the build-up of an electron cloud (EC) in the vacuum chamber. Secondary electron emission from the walls of the vacuum chamber can contribute to the growth of the electron cloud. An apparatus for in-situ measurements of the secondary electron yield (SEY) of samples in the vacuum chamber of the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) has been developed in connection with EC studies for the CESR Test Accelerator program (CesrTA). The CesrTA in-situ system, in operation since 2010, allows for SEY measurements as a function of incident electron energy and angle on samples that are exposed to the accelerator environment, typically 5.3 GeV counter-rotating beams of electrons and positrons. The system was designed for periodic measurements to observe beam conditioning of the SEY with discrimination between exposure to direct photons from synchrotron radiation versus scattered photons and cloud electrons. The SEY chambers can be isolated from the CESR beam pipe, allowing us to exchange samples without venting the CESR vacuum chamber. Measurements so far have been on metal surfaces and EC-mitigation coatings. The goal of the SEY measurement program is to improve predictive models for EC build-up and EC-induced beam effects. This report describes the CesrTA in-situ SEY apparatus, the measurement tool and techniques, and iterative improvements therein.
Download