Energy Calibration of the SPS with Proton and Lead Ion Beams

The momentum of the 450 GeV/c proton beam of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron was determined by a high precision measurement of the revolution frequencies of proton and lead ion beams. To minimize systematic errors the magnetic cycle of the SPS had to be rigorously identical for both beams, and corrections due to Earth tides had to be taken into account. This paper presents how the beam momentum was determined from the RF frequency for which the beams are centered in the machine sextupoles. The measured beam momentum is 449.16 ± 0.14 GeV/c for a nominal momentum of 450 GeV/c, and the accuracy is limited by systematic errors.