The controlling role of envelope mismatches in intense inhomogeneous charged beams

Abstract

Inhomogeneous cold beams undergo wave breaking as they move along the axis of a magnetic focusing system. All the remaining control parameters fixed, the earliest wave breaking is a sensitive function of the inhomogeneity parameter: the larger the inhomogeneity, the sooner the breaking. The present work analyzes the role of envelope size mismatches in the wave breaking process. The analysis reveals that the wave breaking time is also very susceptible to the mismatch; judiciously chosen mismatches can largely extend beam lifetimes. The work is extended to include recently discussed issues on the presences of fast and slow regimes of wave breaking, and the theory is shown to be accurate against simulations.