End to end simulations of the gsi linear accelerator facility

During the last year several numerical investigations have been started at GSI in order to improve the performance of the linear accelerator facility. The main activities regard the upgrade of the high current UNILAC accelerator including the severe upgrade of the HSI injector, the HITRAP decelerator and, in the frame of the future FAIR project, the development of the new dedicated proton linac. End to end beam dynamics simulations are a powerful tool concerning the machine design, commissioning and optimization. Particle distributions, generated from beam emittance measurements, are transferred through the whole chain of accelerating structures and beam transport lines. Detailed calculations of space charge effects as well as external and measured mapping of the electromagnetic fields are used to provide the most reliable results. The paper presents a general overview of all activities performed at GSI concerning the linear accelerator complex.