Applications with Intense OTR Images I: 120-GeV Protons

Although the optical transition radiation (OTR) mechanism has been used in many electron-beam imaging applications, proton-beam applications have been somewhat limited. One needs both a high charge intensity and a high-gamma beam so the OTR can be collected with reasonable efficiency. In the case of the accelerator complex at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), the main injector generates a 120-GeV proton beam with an intensity of ∼5 x 1012 for bombardment of the antiproton production target. This option satisfies both criteria, and the OTR is so bright that attenuation by 1000 with neutral density filters was needed to avoid saturating the CID camera when a 20-μm thin foil was used as the converter screen. Based on this success, OTR stations are being planned for the antiproton transport line to the Tevatron to assist in evaluating beam match and emittance. The ultimate goal is to improve the collider luminosity in Run II by optimizing the antiproton beam optics. Foil damage and radiation damage issues in this environment will also be briefly addressed