Proton Dynamics Scenarios in the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab

Abstract: The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab provides a versatile platform for studying the interplay of space-charge, impedance, and non-linear optics in high-intensity hadron beams within synchrotrons and storage rings. This report examines the parameters and dynamics of 2.5~MeV proton beam operations in two configurations of the bare IOTA lattice: one for demonstrating Non-linear Integrable Optics with the Danilov-Nagaitsev magnet, and the other for use with electron cooling. We offer order-of-magnitude estimates of the transverse emittance growth rate as a function of beam intensity, highlighting contributions from residual gas scattering, intra-beam scattering, and space-charge effects. Under nominal conditions, the beam lifetime is projected to be less than 7~minutes at low intensity with the current vacuum quality, and fewer than 100,000~turns at high intensity due to strong space-charge effects. The calculations presented here will guide strategies to mitigate emittance growth and inform future IOTA experiments.