Early transverse decoherence of bunches with space charge

The transverse decoherence of injected bunches is an important phenomenon in synchrotrons and storage rings. The initial stage of this process determines the transverse emittance blowup, which should be taken into account for the design of feedback systems, for example. The interplay of different high-intensity effects can strongly affect the initial decoherence stage. We present a model that explains decoherence and emittance growth with chromaticity, space charge, and image charges within the first synchrotron period. We compare the model for different combinations of parameters with self-consistent particle tracking simulations and measurements in the SIS18 synchrotron at GSI Darmstadt. Generally, space charge slows down the decoherence process and can cause the loss of decoherence. Chromaticity and image charges can partly compensate this loss and restore the decoherence. We also analyze the single-particle excitation driven by space charge during the decoherence process. Particles gain large amplitudes from the coherent beam oscillation, which leads to halo buildup and losses.