All-ferrite RHIC injection kicker

Ion beams are transferred from the AGS into RHIC in boxcar fashion as single bunches. The nominal design assumes 60 bunches per ring but increasing the number of bunches to gain luminosity is possible, thereby requiring injection kickers with a shorter rise time. The original injection system consists of traveling-wave dielectric loaded kicker magnets and a Blumlein pulser with a rise time adequate for the present operation. Voltage breakdown in the dielectric kickers suggested the use of all-ferrite magnets. In order to minimize the conversion cost, the design of the all-ferrite kicker uses the same components as the dielectric loaded units. The all-ferrite kickers showed in bench measurements good breakdown properties and a current rise time of < 50 ns. A prototype kicker has been installed in the blue ring and was tested with beam. Beam measurements indicate the suitability of all-ferrite kicker magnets for upgraded operation