Numerical investigation of space charge effects on the positions of beamlets for transversely split beams

The use of transversely split beams was proposed some years ago as a means to perform extraction from a circular particle accelerator over multiple turns. In the course of studies carried out to increase understanding of the beam behavior, space charge effects have been probed. The experimental results showed a dependence of the beamlets' positions on the total beam intensity. In this paper detailed numerical simulations studies are reported, which clearly indicate that the observed behavior is due to indirect space charge effects. The analysis includes configurations, which have not yet been experimentally probed, in order to better understand the complex interplay between nonlinear single-particle and intensity-dependent effects.