Halo formation in high-intensity linacs: Modeling and advanced phase space diagnostics

Work at the SNS Beam Test Facility aims to characterize halo formation in the early stages of a high-power linac and to reproduce halo measurements with well-benchmarked particle-in-cell simulations. The BTF is equipped with advanced phase space diagnostics that enable detailed characterization of beam distributions at the beginning and end of a 2.5 MeV, 10 meter test beamline. Diagnostic capabilities include direct measurement of the 6D phase space distribution, as well as imaging of 2D phase space projections with 6 orders of magnitude in dynamic range. This talk will compare predictions from the PyORBIT code to measured distributions, as well as discuss the parameters and limitations of the simulation model.