Estimation of Decay Losses and Dynamic Vacuum for the Beta-beam Accelerator Chain

The beta-beam is based on the acceleration and storage of radioactive ions. Due to the large number of ions required and their relatively short lifetime, beam losses are a major concern. This paper estimates the decay losses for the part of the accelerator chain comprising the CERN PS and SPS machines. For illustration purposes, the power deposition in these accelerators is compared to that expected for nominal CNGS proton operation. The beam losses induced vacuum dynamics is simulated and the consequences for machine operation are discussed.