To achieve the required focusing strength, the new quadrupole magnets will use Nb3Sn conductors for the first time in an accelerator. Nb3Sn will allow fields as high as 11.5 T, compared to 8.5 T for the conventional NbTi bending magnets used elsewhere in the LHC. As they are a new technology, an integrated test stand of the full 60 m-long inner-triplet assembly is essential – and work is now in full swing.
“The main challenge at this stage is the interconnections between the magnets, particularly the interfaces between the magnets and the cryogenic line,” explains Marta Bajko, who leads work on the inner-triplet-string test facility.