Studies of longitudinal beam dynamics with strong space charge effects using a small isochronous ring

In recent years, based on the successful operation of the PSI cyclotron, a number of authors have proposed to use high power cyclotrons for various applications. Space charge forces become especially relevant in these machines due to the large beam currents involved. There is a consensus in the cyclotron community that a deeper knowledge of these forces is necessary to successfully build such a cyclotron. This dissertation is part of an effort carried out at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) to better understand these effects. Using a Small Isochronous Ring (SIR) that works in a space charge dominated regime, we are able to observe and study some of the same space charge effects that are expected in much larger machines. The focus of this dissertation is to describe the injection and extraction line of SIR as well as its control system. We will also discuss the results of simulations performed to describe the beam dynamics in SIR and how those results compare with the experiments.