Simulation of drift compression for heavy-ion fusion

Lengthwise compression of space-charge-dominated beams is needed to obtain the high input power required for heavy-ion fusion. The “drift compression” scenario studied here first applies a head-to-tail velocity variation with the beam tail moving faster than the head. As the beam drifts, the longitudinal space-charge field slows compression, leaving the beam nearly monoenergetic as it enters the final-focus magnets. This paper presents initial work to model this compression scenario. Fluid and particle simulations are compared, and several strategies for setting up the compression schedule are discussed.