Tracing back measured magnetic field imperfections in LHC magnets by means of the inverse problem approach

After measuring the magnetic field of a model or prototype superconducting magnet for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) an inverse field problem is formulated in order to explain the origin of the content of unwanted multipole terms. The inverse problem solving is done by means of a least-squares minimization using the Levenberg-Marquard algorithm. Although the uniqueness of the results remains uncertain, useful insights into the causes of measured field imperfections can be deduced. A model dipole magnet, a main quadrupole prototype and a combined dipole-sextupole corrector magnet are given as examples