The electron lens test bench for the relativistic heavy ion collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory

To compensate for the beam–beam effects from the proton–proton interactions at the two interaction points IP6 and IP8 in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), we are constructing two electron lenses (e-lenses) that we plan to install in the interaction region IR10. Before installing them, the electron gun, collector, instrumentation were tested and the electron beam properties were qualified on an electron lens test bench. We will present the test results and discuss our measurement of the electron beam current and of the electron gun perveance. We achieved a maximum current of 1A with 5kV energy for both the pulsed- and the DC-beam (which is a long turn-by-turn pulse beam). We measured beam transverse profiles with an yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) screen and pinhole detector, and compared those to simulated beam profiles. Measurements of the pulsed electron beam stability were obtained by measuring the modulator voltage.