Update on fast ion instability simulations for the CLIC main linac

The specification for vacuum pressure in the CLIC electron Main Linac critically depends on the fast ion instability. In fact, the maximum tolerable pressure value in the pipe of the Main Linac is dictated by the threshold above which the fast ion instability sets in over a CLIC bunch train. Previous calculation based on ion generation from scattering ionization of the residual gas alone showed that, due to the loss of the trapping along the linac caused by the beam size shrinking from acceleration, a pressure as high as 10 nTorr could be accepted, higher than the tolerable value in the long transfer line. However, since the accelerated beam becomes transversely very small, its electric field can reach values above the field ionization threshold. When this happens, the whole space region with a sufficiently high electric field gets instantly fully ionized by the first bunch and the effect on the bunch train could be severe. We have modeled field ionization in our simulation code FASTION and re-evaluated the onset of fast ion instability in the Main Linac.