LHC Aperture Measurements

The mechanical aperture of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a critical parameter for the operation of the machine due to the high stored beam intensities in the superconducting environment. Betatron and momentum apertures must be therefore precisely measured and optimised. In this paper, we present the results of beam-based measurements of the LHC aperture. The experimental results are compared with the expectations from the as-built model of the LHC aperture, taking into account the optics imperfections of the superconducting magnets. The impact of these measurements on various aspects of the LHC operation are also discussed.