On the relaxation of semi-Gaussian and K-V beams to thermal equilibrium

A beam propagating in a continuous, linear focusing channel tends to relax to a thermal equilibrium state. We employ nonlinear conservation constraints to theoretically analyze changes in quantities that characterize both an initial semi-Gaussian beam with a matched rms beam envelope and a K-V beam under a relaxation to thermal equilibrium. Results from particle-in-cell simulations are compared to the theoretical predictions.