High-Fidelity Simulations of Fixed-Field Alternating Gradient Accelerators

The next-generation particle accelerator for nuclear physics research, required to continue making fundamental advances in this important field, likely will include collisions of high-energy ions with intense electron beams. A promising candidate for the cost-efficient acceleration of high-charge electron bunches is the non-scaling Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) synchrotron. However, existing codes include only some of the key effects required for the accurate design and evaluation of non-scaling FFAG accelerators. This project will augment an existing code for tracking the acceleration of charged particles. This code, which already includes special features for handling large rectangular dipole magnets without a well-defined synchronous trajectory, will be modified by adding generalized magnetic fringe-field models and an ability to include the self-fields of the electrons. In Phase I, a new three-dimensional fringe-field model for large rectangular magnets, which have a strong horizontal gradient in the dipole field, will be developed. This algorithm will be implemented in a tracking code widely used for such systems, and the enhanced code will be used to simulate an existing accelerator design (including the effects of fringe fields, misalignments, and gradient errors). An optimal approach will be defined for adding self-field effects, for parallelizing the code, and for developing an improved user interface. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the Applicant: The new software should directly benefit scientists working to design high-current electron accelerators, which are required for fundamental advances in experimental nuclear physics