Speaker
Description
In recent years, interest in conducting experiments with lighter ions than lead at the CERN Accelerator Complex has grown significantly within the ion-physics community. Collisions such as Xe‑Xe, O‑O, Ne‑Ne, and p‑O have already been delivered to the LHC. Comparisons across these systems offer a unique opportunity to probe nuclear‑geometry‑driven hydrodynamic flow in light‑ion systems at LHC energies. The potential for delivering new ion species to the LHC during Run 4 (2030–2033) and beyond is currently under active study. Complementing the LHC program, the NA61/SHINE fixed‑target experiment at the SPS has requested B, O, and Mg collisions during Run 4 to investigate the quark–gluon plasma near the critical point. In parallel, the proposed HEARTS++ facility—a radiation‑to‑electronics test area for Run 4 and beyond—aims to enable fast switching among five ion species (O, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Pb), with each transition achievable within 15 minutes.
Consolidating these future scenarios calls for a comprehensive evaluation of the present injector complex’s performance with light ions. This contribution outlines the current operational challenges for light‑ion beams and presents a proposed upgrade path for the ion complex to meet these evolving experimental needs.