Space Charge Effects and Limitations in the CERN Proton Synchrotron

Space charge produces a large incoherent tune-spread which, in presence of betatronic resonances, could lead to beam losses and emittance growth. In the CERN Proton Synchrotron, at the current injection kinetic energy (1.4 GeV) and even at the future kinetic energy (2 GeV), space charge is one of the main limitations for high brightness beams and especially for the future High- Luminosity LHC beams. Several detailed studies and measurements have been carried out to improve the understanding of space charge limitations to determine the maximum acceptable tune spread and identify the most important resonances causing losses and emittance growth.