Feasibility of proton bunch compression in an operational high-power accelerator

A muon collider (MC) would require a high-power proton driver to generate intense muon beams at the start of the accelerator chain. Like other high-power facilities, the driver would accumulate intense proton bunches via charge-exchange injection from a linac into a ring. However, unlike other facilities, the MC would require an extreme longitudinal compression of the bunch. We aim to experimentally study the proposed compression scheme at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which boasts a world-leading proton bunch intensity. In this paper, we describe the operating parameters of the SNS compared to the MC design, the capabilities of the current RF system, and the available beam diagnostics in the SNS accumulator ring. We also present initial simulations and experiments to judge the feasibility of the proposed research.