Longitudinal Current Losses in rf Linear Accelerators

Phys. Rev. E 54, 4188 (1996)https://ireap.umd.edu/10.1103/PhysRevE.54.41881996Journal ArticlePlasma, Accelerator, and Nuclear Physics

The effective longitudinal focusing force of the radio-frequency (rf) field in an rf linear accelerator (linac) allows for the loss of particles due to the natural tail on the thermal equilibrium distribution. Equations are derived and numerical results are presented for the resulting fractional loss rate of particles from the rf bucket. This loss rate represents the best possible case. Existing accelerators have beams that are not in thermal equilibrium. Equipartitioning, mismatch, and phase oscillations, effects that are not treated here, can lead to emittance growth, the formation of nonthermal tails (halos), and greater particle losses.