# Momentum compaction

The momentum compaction or momentum compaction factor is a measure for the momentum dependence of the recirculation path length for an object that is bound in cyclic motion (closed orbit). It is used in the calculation of particle paths in circular particle accelerators (like synchrotrons), and for astronomical objects that are bound by gravitation.

For a perturbed orbit, the momentium compaction factor is defined as the derivative of normalized path length difference to normalized momentum[1]

$\alpha_p = \frac{\mathrm{d}L / L} {\mathrm{d}p / p} = \frac{p}{L} \frac{\mathrm{d}L}{\mathrm{d}p} =\frac{1}{L} \oint \frac{D_{x}(s)}{\rho(s)}\mathrm{d}s$. [2] Furthermore the momentum compaction is closely connected to the so-called slip-factor[3] $\eta$ with the horizontal dispersion $D_x$ and the gyroradius $\rho$

$\alpha_p = \frac{1}{\gamma^{2}}-\eta$

wherein $\gamma$ is the Lorentz factor.

## References

1. ^ Conte, Mario; McKay, William W. (Apr 2008). An Introduction to the Physics of Particle Accelerators (2nd ed.). World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-277-961-8.
2. ^ Minty, Michiko G.; Zimmermann, Frank (2003). Measurement and Control of Charged Particle Beams. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 159. ISBN 3-540-44187-5.
3. ^ Steinhagen, R. J. (August 2009). Daniel Brandt, ed. CERN Accelerator School Beam Diagnostics / Tune and chromaticity diagnostics. CERN. p. 343.