Observations of beam-beam effects at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper documents observations of beam-beam effects at the LHC from 2010-2012, highlighting their impact on operational strategies and performance optimization in high-intensity proton running.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive list of beam-beam interaction observations that influenced LHC operational decisions and performance improvements.

Findings

Beam-beam effects significantly influenced LHC operation strategies.

Observations led to optimized filling schemes and luminosity levelling.

Mitigation measures for instabilities were developed based on these observations.

Abstract

This paper introduces a list of observations related to the beam-beam interaction that were collected over the first years of LHC proton physics operation (2010-12). Beam-beam related effects not only have been extensively observed and recorded, but have also shaped the operation of the LHC for high-intensity proton running in a number of ways: the construction of the filling scheme, the choice of luminosity levelling techniques, measures to mitigate instabilities, and the choice of settings for improving performance (e.g. to reduce losses), among others.