Observations of rising tune during the injection instability of the IPNS RCS proton bunch

In the rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS), a single proton bunch (h=1) is accelerated from 50 MeV to 450 MeV in approximately 14.2 ms. The bunch experiences an instability shortly after injection (<1 ms). During the first millisecond, the beam is bunched but little acceleration takes place; therefore this period is similar to a storage ring mode of operation. Natural vertical oscillations (assumed to be tune lines) show the vertical tune to be rising toward the bare tune value, suggesting neutralization of space charge and a reduction of its detuning effects. Neutralization time near injection ranges from 250 mus - 500 mus, depending on the background gas pressure. Oscillations move from the LSB to the USB before disappearing. Tune measurements made with a recently installed ferrite- magnet pinger system show the horizontal chromaticity to be positive early but approaching zero later in the cycle; on the other hand, the vertical chromaticity is negative throughout the cycle. During pinger studies near injection, two vertical lines are observed. Neutralization of the beam space charge implies the generation of plasma in the beam volume early in the cycle which may then dissipate as the time-varying electric fields of the beam become stronger.