Transverse linear dynamics in an axisymmetric ionization cooling channel

This paper outlines a formalism for the description of the linear transverse dynamics of charged particles in an axisymmetric ionization cooling channel. The particle trajectories in the absence of Coulomb scattering are described in terms of lattice functions à la Courant and Snyder, which depend only on the electric and magnetic fields in the channel. The process of multiple Coulomb scattering, which introduces stochastic terms into the particle equations of motion, is treated (in Gaussian approximation) by obtaining the distribution function in phase space as a solution of a Fokker-Planck equation. The distribution function is then used to obtain moment equations for the transverse variables and for combinations of variables such as the emittance and angular momentum. The distribution function is also used to obtain an expression for the peak four-dimensional phase space density and for the fraction of the beam that is within a certain area in phase space. The special case of a periodic channel is then considered and expressions for the asymptotic rms emittance and peak phase space density are obtained. Finally, the application of the general formalism to a numerical example, based on the reported design of a cooling channel for a neutrino source, is considered, and comparisons are made with numerical simulations of that channel.