Calculations of the conditions for bunch leakage in the Los Alamos proton storage ring

Abstract

Observations are consistent with the possibility of an “ep” instability in the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring (PSR) with both bunched and unbunched beam. The instability requires electrons to be trapped within the beam, and calculations have shown that such trapping requires leakage of beam into the interbunch gap. Observationally, leakage of beam into the gap appears necessary for the onset of the instability. In this paper we present results of studies of the longitudinal beam dynamics at PSR parameters. The studies indicate that the combined effects of the rf buncher, longitudinal space charge, and injection mismatch are sufficient to cause the observed bunch leakage. Simulation results are presented and compared with PSR observations. Variations of PSR performance parameters are considered, and methods of improving bunch confinement are suggested and studied.