Decay and Snapback in Superconducting Accelerator Magnets

This thesis deals with the explanation and compensation of the effects 'decay' and 'snapback' in superconducting accelerator magnets, in particular in those used in the new Large Hardron Collider at CERN. During periods of constant magnet excitation, as for example during the injection of particles in the storage ring, the magnetic field in superconducting accelerator magnets shows a decay behavior. As soon as the particles are accelerated, the magnets are ramped, and the magnetic field 'snaps back' to the original hysteresis curve. Decay and snapback affect the beam in the machine and have tobe compensated precisely in order to avoid losses of particles. The research presented in this thesis is a step towards a better understanding of 'decay' and 'snapback' in superconducting particle accelerators. The thesis provides tools for the prediction and compensation of both effects in the magnets, and for the analysis of correlations between different magnet parameters.