Using a hybrid-fluid model to simulate the ion-hose instability in long-pulse electron linacs

A numerical model of the ion-hose instability for long-pulse electron linacs is presented, where the ion motion is represented by fluid parameters. In order to gain extra numerical stability, the fluid behavior of the ions is evolved via particle-in-cell (PIC) techniques. This methodology provides a much faster simulation than a full PIC calculation, allowing for end-to-end simulations of the ion-hose instability in actual linear accelerator configurations. After the description of the simulation model and some simple test cases, the instability is analyzed for a variety of nominal accelerator transport conditions. Simulations of the instability are provided for sections of the DARHT long-pulse accelerator that show different growth regimes of the instability. We find that large-amplitude growth is possible in accelerator and transport regions lacking uniform external focusing, for electron pulse lengths of 2   μsec and longer.