Space charge measurements with a high intensity bunch at the Fermilab Main Injector

For Project X, the Fermilab Main Injector will be required to operate with 3 times higher bunch intensity. The plan to study the space charge effects at the injection energy with intense bunches will be discussed. A multi-MW proton facility has been established as a critical need for the U.S. HEP program by HEPAP and P5. Utilization of the Main Injector (MI) as a high intensity proton source capable of delivering in excess of 2 MW beam power will require a factor of three increase in bunch intensity compared to current operations. Instabilities associated with beam loading, space charge, and electron cloud effects are common issues for high intensity proton machines. The MI intensities for current operations and Project X are listed in Table 1. The MI provides proton beams for Fermilab's Tevatron Proton-Antiproton Collider and MINOS neutrino experiments. The proposed 2MW proton facility, Project X, utilizes both the Recycler (RR) and the MI. The RR will be reconfigured as a proton accumulator and injector to realize the factor 3 bunch intensity increase in the MI. Since the energy in the RR and the MI at injection will be 6-8 GeV, which is relatively low, space charge effects will be significant and need to be studied. Studies based on the formation of high intensity bunches in the MI will guide the design and fabrication of the RF cavities and space-charge mitigation devices required for 2 MW operation of the MI. It is possible to create the higher bunch intensities required in the MI using a coalescing technique that has been successfully developed at Fermilab. This paper will discuss a 5 bunch coalescing scheme at 8 GeV which will produce 2.5 x 1011 protons in one bunch. Bunch stretching will be added to the coalescing process. The required RF parameters were optimized with longitudinal simulations. The beam studies, that have a goal of 85% coalescing efficiency, were started in June 2010.