Precision Small Scattering Angle Measurements of Elastic Proton-Proton Single and Double Spin Analyzing Powers at the RHIC Hydrogen Jet Polarimeter.

The Polarized Atomic Hydrogen Gas Jet Target polarimeter is employed by the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to measure the absolute polarization of each colliding proton beam. Polarimeter detectors and data acquisition were upgraded in 2015 to increase solid angle, energy range, and energy resolution. These upgrades and advanced systematic error analysis along with improved beam intensity and polarization in RHIC runs 2015 (E_{beam}=100 GeV) and 2017 (255 GeV) allowed us to greatly reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainties for elastic spin asymmetries, A_{N}(t) and A_{NN}(t), in the Coulomb-nuclear interference momentum transfer range 0.0013<-t<0.018 GeV^{2}. For the first time hadronic single spin-flip r_{5} and double spin-flip r_{2} amplitude parameters were reliably isolated at these energies and momentum transfers. Measurements at two beam energies enable a separation of Pomeron and Regge pole contributions to r_{5}(s) and r_{2}(s), indicating that the spin component may persist at high energies.

The RHIC polarized H⁻ ion source.

A novel polarization technique had been successfully implemented for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) polarized H(-) ion source upgrade to higher intensity and polarization. In this technique, a proton beam inside the high magnetic field solenoid is produced by ionization of the atomic hydrogen beam (from external source) in the He-gaseous ionizer cell. Further proton polarization is produced in the process of polarized electron capture from the optically pumped Rb vapor. The use of high-brightness primary beam and large cross sections of charge-exchange cross sections resulted in production of high intensity H(-) ion beam of 85% polarization. The source very reliably delivered polarized beam in the RHIC Run-2013 and Run-2015. High beam current, brightness, and polarization resulted in 75% polarization at 23 GeV out of Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) and 60%-65% beam polarization at 100-250 GeV colliding beams in RHIC.

Charge neutralized low energy beam transport at Brookhaven 200 MeV linac.

The H(-) magnetron source provides about 100 mA H(-) beam to be match into the radio-frequency quadrupole accelerator. As H(-) beam traverses through low energy transport, it ionizes the residual gas and electrons are repelled and positive ions are trapped in the beam, due to negative potential of the beam, providing charge neutralization for the H(-) beam. The neutralization time for the critical density depends upon the background gas and its pressure. Critical density for xenon gas at 35 keV is about 43 times smaller than that of hydrogen and stripping cross section is only 5 times than that of hydrogen gas. We are using xenon gas to reduce neutralization time and to improve transmission through the 200 MeV linac. We are also using pulse nitrogen gas to improve transmission and stability of polarized H(-) beam from optically pumped polarized ion source.

Production, formation, and transport of high-brightness atomic hydrogen beam studies for the relativistic heavy ion collider polarized source upgrade.

The RHIC polarized H(-) ion source had been successfully upgraded to higher intensity and polarization by using a very high brightness fast atomic beam source developed at BINP, Novosibirsk. In this source the proton beam is extracted by a four-grid multi-aperture ion optical system and neutralized in the H2 gas cell downstream from the grids. The proton beam is extracted from plasma emitter with a low transverse ion temperature of ∼0.2 eV which is formed by plasma jet expansion from the arc plasma generator. The multi-hole grids are spherically shaped to produce "geometrical" beam focusing. Proton beam formation and transport of atomic beam were experimentally studied at test bench.