Beam-Intensity Limitations in Linear Accelerators

Abstract

Recent demand for high-intensity beams of various particles has renewed interest in the investigation of beam current and beam quality limits in linear RF and induction accelerators and beam-transport channels. Previous theoretical work is reviewed, and new work on beam matching and stability is outlined. There is a real need for extending the theory to handle the time evolution of beam emittance; some present work toward this goal is described. The role of physical constraints in channel intensity limitation is emphasized. Work on optimizing channel performance, particularly at low particle velocities, has resulted in major technological advances. The opportunities for combining such channels into arrays are discussed.