Multiple-Charge Beam Dynamics in an Ion Linac

There is demand for the construction of a medium-energy ion linear accelerator based on superconducting rf (SRF) technology. It must be capable of producing several hundred kilowatts of CW beams ranging from protons to uranium. A considerable amount of power is required in order to generate intense beams of rare isotopes for subsequent acceleration. At present, however, the beam power available for the heavier ions would be limited by ion source performance. To overcome this limit, we have studied the possibility of accelerating multiple-charge-state (multi-Q) beams through a linac. We show that such operation is made feasible by the large transverse and longitudinal acceptance which can be obtained in a linac using superconducting cavities. Multi-Q operation provides not only a substantial increase in beam current, but also enables the use of two strippers, thus reducing the size of linac required. Since the superconducting (SC) linac operates in CW mode, space charge effects are essentially eliminated except in the ECR/RFQ region. Therefore an effective emittance growth due to the multi-charge beam acceleration can be minimized.