Space charge in proton linacs

There are at least two reasons for the interest in space-charge effects in proton linacs. First, it can be expected that there are some areas of commonality in the space-charge physics of linacs and circular machines. Second, a linac delivers the input beam to a circular machine, so understanding the linac physics helps to explain the limitations for the input beam quality to a ring. This presentation is divided into three parts. First, the authors discuss space-charge effects form the linac point of view. Second, they discuss practical methods of calculation of linac beam dynamics that include space-charge forces. Finally, they summarize the status of experimental studies of the beam performance in the LANSCE linac including space-charge effects

Calculation of wakefields in a 17 GHz beam-driven photonic band-gap accelerator structure

We present the theoretical analysis and computer simulation of the wakefields in a 17 GHz photonic band-gap (PBG) structure for accelerator applications. Using the commercial code CST Particle Studio, the fundamental accelerating mode and dipole modes are excited by passing an 18 MeV electron beam through a seven-cell traveling-wave PBG structure. The characteristics of the longitudinal and transverse wakefields, wake potential spectrum, dipole mode distribution, and their quality factors are calculated and analyzed theoretically. Unlike in conventional disk-loaded waveguide (DLW) structures, three dipole modes (TM[subscript 11]-like, TM[subscript 12]-like, and TM[subscript 13]-like) are excited in the PBG structure with comparable initial amplitudes. These modes are separated by less than 4 GHz in frequency and are damped quickly due to low radiative Q factors. Simulations verify that a PBG structure provides wakefield damping relative to a DLW structure. Simulations were done with both single-bunch excitation to determine the frequency spectrum of the wakefields and multibunch excitation to compare to wakefield measurements taken at MIT using a 17 GHz bunch train. These simulation results will guide the design of next-generation high-gradient accelerator PBG structures.United States. Dept. of Energy. High Energy Physics Division (Contract DEFG02- 91ER40648)China. Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Contract ZYGX 2010J055

Beam Loss Studies for Rare Isotope Driver Linacs Final Report

The Fortran 90 RIAPMTQ/IMPACT code package is a pair of linked beam-dynamics simulation codes that have been developed for end-to-end computer simulations of multiple-charge-state heavy-ion linacs for future exotic-beam facilities. These codes have multiple charge-state capability, and include space-charge forces. The simulations can extend from the low-energy beam-transport line after an ECR ion source to the end of the linac. The work has been performed by a collaboration including LANL, LBNL, ANL, and MSU. The code RIAPMTQ simulates the linac front-end beam dynamics including the LEBT, RFQ, and MEBT. The code IMPACT simulates the beam dynamics of the main superconducting linac. The codes have been benchmarked for rms beam properties against previously existing codes at ANL and MSU. The codes allow high-statistics runs on parallel supercomputing platforms, particularly at NERSC at LBNL, for studies of beam losses. The codes also run on desktop PC computers for low-statistics work. The code package is described in more detail in a recent publication [1] in the Proceedings of PAC07 (2007 US Particle Accelerator Conference). In this report we describe the main activities for the FY07 beam-loss studies project using this code package

Simulation of adiabatic thermal beams in a periodic solenoidal magnetic focusing field

Self-consistent particle-in-cell simulations are performed to verify earlier theoretical predictions of adiabatic thermal beams in a periodic solenoidal magnetic focusing field [ K. R. Samokhvalova, J. Zhou and C. Chen Phys. Plasmas 14 103102 (2007); J. Zhou, K. R. Samokhvalova and C. Chen Phys. Plasmas 15 023102 (2008)]. In particular, results are obtained for adiabatic thermal beams that do not rotate in the Larmor frame. For such beams, the theoretical predictions of the rms beam envelope, the conservations of the rms thermal emittances, the adiabatic equation of state, and the Debye length are verified in the simulations. Furthermore, the adiabatic thermal beam is found be stable in the parameter regime where the simulations are performed.United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DEFG02- 95ER40919)United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-05ER54836

Pressurized H-2 rf Cavities in Ionizing Beams and Magnetic Fields

A major technological challenge in building a muon cooling channel is operating rf cavities in multitesla external magnetic fields. We report the first proof-of-principle experiment of a high pressure gas-filled rf cavity for use with intense ionizing beams and strong external magnetic fields. rf power consumption by beam-induced plasma is investigated with hydrogen and deuterium gases with pressures between 20 and 100 atm and peak rf gradients between 5 and 50 MV/m. The low pressure case agrees well with an analytical model based on electron and ion mobilities. Varying concentrations of oxygen gas are investigated to remove free electrons from the cavity and reduce the rf power consumption. Measurements of the electron attachment time to oxygen and rate of ion-ion recombination are also made. Additionally, we demonstrate the operation of the gas-filled rf cavity in a solenoidal field of up to 3 T, finding no major magnetic field dependence. All these results indicate that a high pressure gas-filled cavity is a viable technology for muon ionization cooling.open1

Basis for low beam loss in the high-current APT linac

The present evidence that the APT proton linac design will meet its goal of low beam loss operation. The conclusion has three main bases: (1) extrapolation from the understanding of the performance of the 800-MeV LANSCE proton linac at Los Alamos, (2) the theoretical understanding of the dominant halo-forming mechanism in the APT accelerator from physics models and multiparticle simulations, and (3) the conservative approach and key principles underlying the design of the APT linac, which are aimed at minimizing beam halo and providing large apertures to reduce beam loss to a very low value