Recent results on intensity and transverse density limitations in the Fermilab 8-GeV Booster are presented. The evidence suggests that the limits are set by incoherent space-charge effects at low energy. Data are interpreted in terms of the space-charge tune shift and possible means of improving performance further are discussed. 8 refs., 3 figs.

Demand of high luminosity in the Tevatron collider in Fermilab makes the small beam emittance coming out of the 8 GeV Booster a highly desirable feature. This is because Booster bunches with small emittance, when eventually coalesced into Main Ring bunches, will ensure a high luminosity in the collider. Efforts have been made to identify factors limiting the phase space density in both transverse and longitudinal dimensions. The experimental result points to space charge induced tune spread at low energy as the main factor limiting the transverse phase space density, and the space charge induced phase space dilution at transition and longitudinal coupled bunch instability as the factors limiting the longitudinal phase space density. To counteract these factors, a set of harmonic correction sextupoles and skew sextupoles were implemented to reduce the third order resonances in the transverse case. In the longitudinal case a .gamma./sub t/-jump system was implemented to ease the bunch tumbling after transition, and various schemes to damp the longitudinal coupled bunch instability are either implemented or being reviewed. Future plans and efforts will be mentioned briefly at the end of this article. 3 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.