FNAL R&D in medium energy electron cooling

The first stage of the Fermilab Electron Cooling R&D program is now complet e: a technology necessary to generate hundreds of milliamps of electron bea m current at MeV energies has been demonstrated. Conceptual design studies show that with an electron beam current of 200 mA and with a cooling sectio n of 20 m electron cooling in the 8.9 GeV/c Fermilab Recycler ring can prov ide antiproton stacking rates suitable for the Tevatron upgrades beyond Run II luminosity goals. A novel electron beam transport scheme with a weak ma gnetic field at the cathode and in the cooling section, and with discrete f ocusing elements in between will be used. A prototype of such an electron c ooling system is now being built at Fermilab as part of the continuing R&D program. This paper describes the status of the electron cooling R&D progra m at Fermilab. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.