Crystal collimation as an option for the large hadron colliders

We present a study in which we propose using a bent crystal and the channeling mechanism for halo collimation in hadron colliders. Experimental results carried out at IHEP with 70 GeV protons and detailed Monte Carlo calculations highlight that a crystal may well resist the highly radioactive environment of a large hadron collider and can be profitably used to steer halo protons out of the main stream. A crystal, integrated in a collimation system may serve either as a diagnostic tool for precise alignment of a traditional massive collimator, made of amorphous dense material or directly as a primary scraper. In this second option, simulations performed specifically in the case of the CERN large hadron collider (LHC) show that the halo intensity would fall off by more than an order of magnitude with respect to a standard collimation system.