A condition for improved dynamic aperture for nonlinear, alternating gradient transport systems is derived using Lie transform perturbation theory. The Lie transform perturbation method is used here to perform averaging over fast oscillations by canonically transforming to slowly oscillating variables. This is first demonstrated for a linear sinusoidal focusing system. This method is then employed to average the dynamics over a lattice period for a nonlinear focusing system, provided by the use of higher order poles such as sextupoles and octupoles along with alternate gradient quadrupoles. Unlike the traditional approach, the higher order focusing is not treated as a perturbation. The Lie transform method is particularly advantageous for such a system where the form of the Hamiltonian is complex. This is because the method exploits the property of canonical invariance of Poisson brackets so that the change of variables is accomplished by just replacing the old ones with the new. The analysis shows the existence of a condition in which the system is azimuthally symmetric in the transformed, slowly oscillating frame. Such a symmetry in the time averaged frame renders the system nearly integrable in the laboratory frame. This condition leads to reduced chaos and improved confinement when compared to a system that is not close to integrability. Numerical calculations of single-particle trajectories and phase space projections of the dynamic aperture performed for a lattice with quadrupoles and sextupoles confirm that this is indeed the case.

• Received 12 October 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.69.056501