Plasma-induced collective effects in muon ionization cooling

Abstract

Muon ionization cooling is a critical process that determines the achievable beam brightness and overall performance of a muon collider. In this study, we investigate collective effects induced by high-intensity muon beams inside the absorber, effects that have not been included in previous ionization cooling simulations. We show that beam-induced plasma can neutralize the beam space-charge field, while the self-generated azimuthal magnetic field can introduce additional beam focusing through a z-pinch-like mechanism. We also demonstrate that sufficiently high plasma densities may modify the stopping-power rate. The implications of these plasma-induced phenomena for ionization cooling performance are discussed.