Performance Report on the Ground Test Accelerator Radio Frequency Quadrupole

The Ground Test Accelerator (GTA) uses a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) to bunch and accelerate a 35 keV input beam to a final energy of 2.5 MeV. Most measured parameters of the GTA RFQ agreed with simulated predictions. The relative shape of the transmission versus the vane-voltage relationship and the Courant-Snyder (CS) parameters of the output beam`s transverse and longitudinal phase spaces agreed well with predictions. However, the transmission of the RFQ was significantly lower than expected. Improved simulation studies included image charges and multipole effects in the RFQ. Most of the predicted properties of the RFQ, such as input matched-beam conditions and output-beam shapes were unaffected by these additional effects. However, the comparison of measured with predicted absolute values of transmitted beam was much improved by the inclusion of these effects in the simulations. The comparison implied a value for the input emittance that is consistent with measurements.