Transfer Line Studies from LINAC4 to the PS Booster: Green Field Option

Linac4 is a normal conducting H- linac, which is currently under study at CERN as upgrade to the present LHC injectors chain in view of intensifying the proton flux available for the CERN accelerator complex and eventually attain LHC ultimate luminosity goals. The new linac is designed to accelerate a 65 mA H- ion beam from 45 keV up to 160 MeV for charge-exchange injection into the CERN Proton Synchrotron Booster, thus overcoming the space charge limitations of the present injection mechanism at 50 MeV, which represent the main obstacle to obtaining higher beam brightness into the PS. A transfer line is being planned to transport the beam from the end of Linac4 to the PSB: a solution corresponding to a siting of the linac in the existing PS South Hall was initially studied [1] but later discarded in favour of a new "green field" arrangement of a whole complex of new machines (including the SPL and PS2) at CERN. The present note outlines this latest layout and presents the results of the relative beam dynamics studies.