Physics design of front ends for superconducting ion linacs

Superconducting (SC) technology is the only option for CW linacs and is also an attractive option for pulsed linacs. SC cavities are routinely used for proton and H{sup -} beam acceleration above 185 MeV. Successful development of SC cavities covering the lower velocity range (down to 0.03c) is a very strong basis for the application of SC structures in the front ends of high energy linacs. Lattice design and related high-intensity beam physics issues in a {approx}400 MeV linac that uses SC cavities will be presented in this talk. In particular, axially-symmetric focusing by SC solenoids provides strong control of beam space charge and a compact focusing lattice. As an example, we discuss the SC front end of the H{sup -} linac for the FNAL Proton Driver