Multiple beams in a heavy ion fusion reactor chamber can increase the beam spot size at the target. Each beam experiences the field from nearby beams and this field varies along the bunch length. These field variations cause different parts of the beam to be focused at different locations and results in a larger spot size at the target. Calculations show that this is not a large effect for a beam generated by an induction linear accelerator in which the current is nearly constant over much of the pulse. These calculations show 90%–99% of the charge reaches the target for a radiation converter radius that is 10%–20% larger than the beam radius. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.