Experience with the new reverse injection scheme in the Tevatron

In the new injection scenario the antiproton beam is injected onto a helical Tevatron orbit to avoid the detrimental effects of the beam-beam interaction at 150 GeV. The new scenario required changes in the tuning procedures. Antiprotons are too precious to be used for tuning, therefore the antiproton injection line has to be tuned with protons by reverse injecting them from the Tevatron into the Main Ring. Previously, the reverse injection was performed in one supercycle. One batch of uncoalesced bunches was injected into the Tevatron and ejected after 40 seconds. The orbit closure was performed in the Main Ring. In the new scheme the lambertson magnets have to be moved, separator polarities have to be switched, activities that cannot be completed in one supercycle. Therefore, the reverse injection sequence was changed. This involved the redefinition of TVBS (Tevatron Beam Synchronised Clock) event ₈ as MRBS (Main Ring Beam Synchronized Clock) ₈ thus making it possible to inject 6 proton batches (or coalesced bunches) and eject them one at a time on command, performing orbit closure each time in the Main Ring