Design of LINAC4, A New Injector for the CERN Booster

A new H- linac (Linac4) is presently under study at CERN. This accelerator, based on normal conducting structures at 352 and 704 MHz, will provide a 30 mA 160 MeV H- beam to the CERN PS Booster (PSB), thus overcoming the present space-charge bottleneck at injection with a 50 MeV proton beam. Linac4 is conceived as the first stage of a future 2.2 GeV superconducting linac (SPL) and it is therefore designed for a higher duty cycle than necessary for the PSB. This paper discusses the design choices, presents the layout of the facility and illustrates the advantages for the LHC and other CERN users. The R&D and construction strategy, which mainly relies upon international collaborations, is also presented.