Integrable optics design principles for beam halo suppression in accelerator rings at the intensity frontier

Advancement of the intensity frontier is essential for high energy physics applications, including proton drivers for muon colliders, neutrino factories and neutron production. All such applications require a proton accumulator ring, for which particle loss via beam halo is an intensity-limiting factor that is not adequately understood. This is also true for other applications, such as nuclear waste transmutation, and energy production in sub-critical nuclear reactors. A novel approach to halo suppression is based on the theory of integrable, yet fundamentally nonlinear magnetic optics for long, drifting hadron beams in an accelerator ring. Most work on this exciting topic has been restricted to single-particle dynamics, but recent results show for one example that space-charge-driven beam halo can be completely suppressed. We propose to quantify the possibilities and limitations of this fundamentally new approach to high- intensity accelerator ring design, using the parallel Synergia framework for simulations. Topics to be explored include: a) the effects of space charge forces, field errors, magnet misalignments, and other sources of parametric resonance; b) the effect of controlled nonlinearities, such as sextupoles for chromaticity control; c) the effect of longitudinal dynamics driven by finite bunch length and rf cavities; d) how to optimally populate a Vlasov equilibrium particle distribution, perhaps via laser stripping of H- upon injection; e) optimal equilibrium distributions and methods to achieve approximately linear transverse space charge forces within the beam, and f) reexamination of relevant lattices in the literature or in present accelerators to explore potential benefits of these new design principles. Also, we will modify an existing Python framework for accelerator and radiation codes to support Synergia, including GUI-driven creation of input files and automatic conversion of data files to formats used by other codes. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Our target customers for sales of contract R & amp;D services include the DOE research laboratories with particle accelerator programs (Fermilab, Berkeley Lab, Livermore Lab, Los Alamos, Sandia, Jefferson Lab, Brookhaven Lab) and the FRIB project at Michigan State, as well as US companies building accelerator hardware. There will also be opportunities with foreign counterparts in Europe and Asia. For the potentially more lucrative business of HPC Python consulting, our initial target customers will be groups at research laboratories and research universities, in most cases with DOE or DOD funding, so we can leverage our contacts and domain knowledge in this space. As we build up staff, expertise, market presence, and a reputation for success, we will target new types of customers who are working with any scientific or engineering code.