A stretcher for the Brookhaven AGS

This paper summarizes the conceptual design of a 30 GeV Stretcher ring, which is designed to increase the capacity and the quality of the experimental physics program at the AGS. In a typical 3 second operating cycle the AGS now accomplishes two functions: accelerating the beam to full energy and then providing a slow spill on a 30 GeV flattop. These tasks consume approximately equal time. The proposed Stretcher, a dc storage ring, will take up the task of distributing the high energy beam with a continuous slow spill, making it possible for the AGS to provide beam for the program at more than twice the present repetition rate. Thus the average current delivered to the experimenters will be more than doubled, and the duty cycle of the spill will increase from the present optimum of about 40% to nearly 100%. The Stretcher will continue the gradual evolution of the AGS toward a kaon factory. At present, the AGS provides about 1 μA average proton current. A Booster, now under construction, is expected to increase the current to above 4 μa, and the Stretcher to about 8-10 μA, an order of magnitude higher than now. 5 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab