Possible Sources of Pulse-To-Pulse Orbit Variation in the SLAC Linac

Pulse-to-pulse variation of the transverse beam orbit, frequently referred to as ' jitter' , has long been a major problem in SLC operation. It impairs the SLC luminosity both by reducing the average beam overlap at the IP and by hampering precision tuning of the final focus. The origin of the fast orbit variation is not fully understood. Measurements during the 1994/95 SLC run showed that it is random from pulse to pulse, increases strongly with current and grows steadily along the SLAC linac, with a typical final rms amplitude of about half the beam size. In this paper, we investigate possible sources of the vertical orbit jitter.