Comparison between measurements, simulations, and theoretical predictions of the extraction kicker transverse dipole instability in the Spallation Neutron Source

Occasionally, it is possible to bring together experiment, theory, and simulation in detail. Such an occasion occurred during a high intensity beam physics study in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). A transverse dipole instability in the vertical direction has been observed in the accumulator ring for a coasting beam that was stored for 10000 turns. This instability was observed at a beam intensity of about 12 μC and was characterized by a frequency spectrum peaking at about 6 MHz. The probable cause of the instability is the impedance of the ring extraction kickers. We carry out here a detailed benchmark of the observed instability, uniting an analysis of the experimental data, a precise ORBIT code tracking simulation, and a theoretical estimate of the observed beam instability.