Measurement of H particles generated by residual gas stripping in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex linac

Tamura, Jun  ; Futatsukawa, Kenta*; Kondo, Yasuhiro   ; Liu, Y.*; Miyao, Tomoaki*; Morishita, Takatoshi  ; Nemoto, Yasuo*; Okabe, Kota  ; Yoshimoto, Masahiro  

The Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) linac is a high-intensity accelerator in which beam loss is a critical issue. In the J-PARC linac, H beams are accelerated to 191~MeV by a separated drift tube linac (SDTL) and subsequently to 400~MeV by an annular-ring coupled structure (ACS). Because there are more beam loss mechanisms in H linacs than in proton linacs, it is imperative to investigate the beam loss circumstances for beam loss mitigation. Electron-stripping phenomena, which generate uncontrollable H particles, are characteristic beam loss factors of H linacs. To clarify the beam loss causes in the J-PARC linac, a new diagnostic line was installed in the beam transport between the SDTL and ACS. In this diagnostic line, H particles were separated from the H beam, and the intensity profiles of the H particles were successfully measured by horizontally scanning a graphite plate in the range where H particles were distributed. By examining the intensity variation of the H particles with different residual pressure levels, we proved that half of the H particles in the SDTL section are generated by the residual gas stripping in the nominal beam operation of the J-PARC linac.