Errors in Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Structures

Performance degradation caused by certain radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) machine errors was studied using an efficient 3-D particle tracing simulation code for a high-brightness example. Matched beams, for which no emittance growth occurs, exist for periodic structures and were used as input beams for particle tracing in the presence of errors. We considered both slowly varying and fast (random) errors that destroy periodicity. Random dipole errors cause emittance growth because of the mismatches they introduce and also result in a motion of the beam centroid that causes a reduction in acceptance. Because of the way RFQs are manufactured, the random error amplitudes can be kept below harmful levels. More important are the slow errors, which are harmful because they reduce acceptance even though they maintain a match (up to the point of particle loss). Slow dipole errors steer the beam toward the wall, and voltage deficiencies cause instabilities in the longitudinal direction resulting in particles not being accelerated to full energy.