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At least 163 records · Page 9

Absolute energy calibration for relativistic electron beams with pointing instability from a laser-plasma accelerator

The pointing instability of energetic electron beams generated from a laser-driven accelerator can cause a serious error in measuring the electron spectrum with a magnetic spectrometer. In order to determine a correct electron spectrum, the pointing angle of an electron beam incident on the spectrometer should be exactly defined. Here, we present a method for absolutely calibrating the electron spectrum by monitoring the pointing angle using a scintillating screen installed in front of a permanent dipole magnet. The ambiguous electron energy due to the pointing instability is corrected by the numerical and analytical calculations based on the relativistic equation of electron motion. It is also possible to estimate the energy spread of the electron beam and determine the energy resolution of the spectrometer using the beam divergence angle that is simultaneously measured on the screen. The calibration method with direct measurement of the spatial profile of an incident electron beam has a simple experimental layout and presents the full range of spatial and spectral information of the electron beams with energies of multi-hundred MeV level, despite the limited energy resolution of the simple electron spectrometer.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Synchronization of high speed framing camera and intense electron-beam accelerator

A new trigger program is proposed to realize the synchronization of high speed framing camera (HSFC) and intense electron-beam accelerator (IEBA). The trigger program which include light signal acquisition radiated from main switch of IEBA and signal processing circuit could provide a trigger signal with rise time of 17 ns and amplitude of about 5 V. First, the light signal was collected by an avalanche photodiode (APD) module, and the delay time between the output voltage of APD and load voltage of IEBA was tested, it was about 35 ns. Subsequently, the output voltage of APD was processed further by the signal processing circuit to obtain the trigger signal. At last, by combining the trigger program with an IEBA, the trigger program operated stably, and a delay time of 30 ns between the trigger signal of HSFC and output voltage of IEBA was obtained. Meanwhile, when surface flashover occurred at the high density polyethylene sample, the delay time between the trigger signal of HSFC and flashover current was up to 150 ns, which satisfied the need of synchronization of HSFC and IEBA. So the experiment results proved that the trigger program could compensate the time (called compensated time) of the trigger signal processing time and the inherent delay time of the HSFC.

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A high-field adiabatic fast passage ultracold neutron spin flipper for the UCNA experiment

The UCNA collaboration is making a precision measurement of the {beta} asymmetry (A) in free neutron decay using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). A critical component of this experiment is an adiabatic fast passage neutron spin flipper capable of efficient operation in ambient magnetic fields on the order of 1 T. The requirement that it operate in a high field necessitated the construction of a free neutron spin flipper based, for the first time, on a birdcage resonator. The design, construction, and initial testing of this spin flipper prior to its use in the first measurement of A with UCN during the 2007 run cycle of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's 800 MeV proton accelerator is detailed. These studies determined the flipping efficiency of the device, averaged over the UCN spectrum present at the location of the spin flipper, to be {epsilon}=0.9985(4).

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A diagnosis of intense ion beam by CR-39 detectors analyzing the back scattered particles

A new diagnosis method has been developed utilizing back scattered particles for high energy intense ion beams. The CR-39 detector mounted on the uniform back-scatterer was irradiated with {sup 4}He{sup 2+} ions with an energy 25 MeV/n, which is never recorded as etchable track in CR-39. We found that it is possible to diagnose by analyzing the etch pits on the rear surface of CR-39 that directly contacted on the back-scatterers. It turns out that most of etch pits in the rear surface are made by the backscattered particles by investigating the growth pattern of each etch pit with multi-step etching technique. This method allows simple diagnosis of the ion beam profile and intensity distribution in mixed radiation field such as laser-driven ion acceleration experiments.

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Empirical laws of particle extraction from single-grid source of bipolar ion-electron flow

The present research is devoted to the problem of extraction grid choice for a single-grid source of bipolar ion-electron flow. The paper contains detailed reference information on ion and electron extraction characteristics of 10 different grids with broad range of parameters: aperture width (0.09-0.6 mm), grid transparency (0.19-0.51), thickness (0.036-0.5 mm), and with different aperture geometry. The grids with square, circular, and slit apertures were made with different technologies: laser cutting, welding, weaving, and electrolytic erosion. The general regularities of the ion and electron extraction from the single-grid source are experimentally researched for the cases of dc and RF extraction grid biasing. A conclusion has been made that the maximum extracted ion current at low ion energy (0-200 eV) does not significantly vary for all the grids and does not exceed half of the primary ion current from plasma multiplied by the optical grid transparency. The low-energy limit of efficient ion extraction has been discovered which cannot be overcome by the aperture narrowing. A conclusion is made that the RF extraction mode is superior for all the researched grids since it is characterized by higher extracted ion current at any acceleration voltage for any grid with much more simple and smooth extraction curves behavior in comparison to the dc case as well as absence of arcing, jumps, and hysteresis of the measured curves at any RF voltages. The unique ability of the RF biased single-grid source of simultaneous ion/electron emission has been studied. The measured maximal attainable ion beam current compensation ratio is always sufficiently higher than 1 and typically varies in the range 2-6. The results obtained in the present paper demonstrate prospective of the single-grid source in space thruster applications and in modern technologies, particularly for ion beam processing of wide bandgap semiconductor devices such as GaN and SiC transistors due to inherent precise beam neutralization.

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Accelerator driven gamma and fast neutron radiography test-bed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Accelerator driven fusion gammas and fast neutrons could provide unique radiography capabilities due to their ability to produce both high and low energy mono-energetic gammas and neutrons compared with broadband bremsstrahlung based x-ray sources. The possibility of simultaneously obtaining both gamma and neutron radiographs using one source could allow complex objects composed of a large range of low to high Z materials to be imaged. In this paper we review a 4 MV RFQ accelerator driven radiography test-bed at LLNL designed to study the physics involved in applying these dual output fusion reactions for radiography applications. First experimental neutron images from a carbon target are presented.

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First storage of ion beams in the Double Electrostatic Ion-Ring Experiment: DESIREE

We report on the first storage of ion beams in the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE, at Stockholm University. We have produced beams of atomic carbon anions and small carbon anion molecules (C{sub n}{sup -}, n= 1, 2, 3, 4) in a sputter ion source. The ion beams were accelerated to 10 keV kinetic energy and stored in an electrostatic ion storage ring enclosed in a vacuum chamber at 13 K. For 10 keV C{sub 2}{sup -} molecular anions we measure the residual-gas limited beam storage lifetime to be 448 s {+-} 18 s with two independent detector systems. Using the measured storage lifetimes we estimate that the residual gas pressure is in the 10{sup -14} mbar range. When high current ion beams are injected, the number of stored particles does not follow a single exponential decay law as would be expected for stored particles lost solely due to electron detachment in collision with the residual-gas. Instead, we observe a faster initial decay rate, which we ascribe to the effect of the space charge of the ion beam on the storage capacity.

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A versatile apparatus for on-line emission channeling experiments

The concept and functionality of an apparatus dedicated to emission channeling experiments using short-lived isotopes on-line at ISOLDE/CERN is described. The setup is assembled in two functional blocks – (a) base stand including beam collimation, implantation and measurement chamber, cryogenic extension, and vacuum control system and (b) Panmure goniometer extension including maneuvering cradle and sample heating furnace. This setup allows for in situ implantation and sample analysis in the as-implanted state and upon cooling down to 50 K and during annealing up to 1200 K. The functionality of the setup will be illustrated with the example of establishing the lattice location of {sup 56}Mn probes implanted into GaAs.

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Note: Matching index technique for avoiding higher order mode resonance in accelerators: INDUS-2 accelerator as a case study

Resonance between circulating beam frequencies and RF cavity Higher Order Modes (HOMs) of accelerators can lead to coupled-bunch instabilities. Shifting these HOMs to avoid the resonance is a topic of active interest. A study has been carried out for the accelerating cavities of the INDUS-2. For quantitative measure of deciding which modes have to be moved and by how much, we introduce a new index called the matching index (I{sub M}), as a measure of how close a HOM is to the nearest beam mode. Depending on the value of I{sub M}, the operating scenarios are classified as safe and unsafe.

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Note: A new angle-resolved proton energy spectrometer

In typical laser-driven proton acceleration experiments Thomson parabola proton spectrometers are used to measure the proton spectra with very small acceptance angle in specific directions. Stacks composed of CR-39 nuclear track detectors, imaging plates, or radiochromic films are used to measure the angular distributions of the proton beams, respectively. In this paper, a new proton spectrometer, which can measure the spectra and angular distributions simultaneously, has been designed. Proton acceleration experiments performed on the Xtreme light III laser system demonstrates that the spectrometer can give angle-resolved spectra with a large acceptance angle. This will be conductive to revealing the acceleration mechanisms, optimization, and applications of laser-driven proton beams.

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High power operation of an X-band coaxial multi-beam relativistic klystron amplifier

An X-band coaxial multi-beam relativistic klystron amplifier is designed in order to increase output microwave power and operating frequency of the amplifier tube. The experiment is performed on a Tesla-type accelerator. The amplifier is driven by an electron beam of 2.8 kA at 720 kV, and a microwave power of 30 kW and frequency of 9.384 GHz is injected into an input cavity by means of an external source, then a microwave power of over 800 MW is extracted, the amplifier gain is about 44 dB, and conversion efficiency is 40%. The experiment proves that output power of nearly GWs can be generated with the X-band coaxial multi-beam relativistic klystron amplifier driven by a kW-level input power.

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Modeling of neutrals in the Linac4 H{sup −} ion source plasma: Hydrogen atom production density profile and H{sub α} intensity by collisional radiative model

To control the H{sup 0} atom production profile in the H{sup −} ion sources is one of the important issues for the efficient and uniform surface H{sup −} production. The purpose of this study is to construct a collisional radiative (CR) model to calculate the effective production rate of H{sup 0} atoms from H{sub 2} molecules in the model geometry of the radio-frequency (RF) H{sup −} ion source for Linac4 accelerator. In order to validate the CR model by comparison with the experimental results from the optical emission spectroscopy, it is also necessary for the model to calculate Balmer photon emission rate in the source. As a basic test of the model, the time evolutions of H{sup 0} production and the Balmer H{sub α} photon emission rate are calculated for given electron energy distribution functions in the Linac4 RF H{sup −} ion source. Reasonable test results are obtained and basis for the detailed comparisons with experimental results have been established.

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Beam extraction and high stability operation of high current electron cyclotron resonance proton ion source

A high current electron cyclotron resonance proton ion source is designed and developed for the low energy high intensity proton accelerator at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The plasma discharge in the ion source is stabilized by minimizing the reflected microwave power using four stub auto tuner and magnetic field. The optimization of extraction geometry is performed using PBGUNS code by varying the aperture, shape, accelerating gap, and the potential on the electrodes. While operating the source, it was found that the two layered microwave window (6 mm quartz plate and 2 mm boron nitride plate) was damaged (a fine hole was drilled) by the back-streaming electrons after continuous operation of the source for 3 h at beam current of 20–40 mA. The microwave window was then shifted from the line of sight of the back-streaming electrons and located after the water-cooled H-plane bend. In this configuration the stable operation of the high current ion source for several hours is achieved. The ion beam is extracted from the source by biasing plasma electrode, puller electrode, and ground electrode to +10 to +50 kV, −2 to −4 kV, and 0 kV, respectively. The total ion beam current of 30–40 mA is recorded on Faraday cup at 40 keV of beam energy at 600–1000 W of microwave power, 800–1000 G axial magnetic field and (1.2–3.9) × 10{sup −3} mbar of neutral hydrogen gas pressure in the plasma chamber. The dependence of beam current on extraction voltage, microwave power, and gas pressure is investigated in the range of operation of the ion source.

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Determination of the ReA Electron Beam Ion Trap electron beam radius and current density with an X-ray pinhole camera

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University is used as a charge booster and injector for the currently commissioned rare isotope re-accelerator facility ReA. This EBIT charge breeder is equipped with a unique superconducting magnet configuration, a combination of a solenoid and a pair of Helmholtz coils, allowing for a direct observation of the ion cloud while maintaining the advantages of a long ion trapping region. The current density of its electron beam is a key factor for efficient capture and fast charge breeding of continuously injected, short-lived isotope beams. It depends on the radius of the magnetically compressed electron beam. This radius is measured by imaging the highly charged ion cloud trapped within the electron beam with a pinhole camera, which is sensitive to X-rays emitted by the ions with photon energies between 2 keV and 10 keV. The 80%-radius of a cylindrical 800 mA electron beam with an energy of 15 keV is determined to be r{sub 80%}=(212±19)μm in a 4 T magnetic field. From this, a current density of j = (454 ± 83)A/cm{sup 2} is derived. These results are in good agreement with electron beam trajectory simulations performed with TriComp and serve as a test for future electron gun design developments.

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Novel modification of Hall-type ion source (study and the first results)

We present the original approach to use plasma accelerators with closed electron drift (Hall-type ion sources), which, unlike traditional accelerators with metal and dielectric walls, have open walls and can be applied for creation cost effective low maintenance plasma devices based on plasma lens configuration for production of converging towards axis accelerated ion beams. The paper describes pilot sample of Hall-type plasma accelerator, the first experimental results, one-dimensional theoretical model, and exact analytical solutions following from it.

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Measurement of ion species in high current ECR H{sup +}/D{sup +} ion source for IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility)

Ion species ratio of high current positive hydrogen/deuterium ion beams extracted from an electron-cyclotron-resonance ion source for International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility accelerator was measured by the Doppler shift Balmer-α line spectroscopy. The proton (H{sup +}) ratio at the middle of the low energy beam transport reached 80% at the hydrogen ion beam extraction of 100 keV/160 mA and the deuteron (D{sup +}) ratio reached 75% at the deuterium ion beam extraction of 100 keV/113 mA. It is found that the H{sup +} ratio measured by the spectroscopy gives lower than that derived from the phase-space diagram measured by an Allison scanner type emittance monitor. The H{sup +}/D{sup +} ratio estimated by the emittance monitor was more than 90% at those extraction currents.

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Development of Wien filter for small ion gun of surface analysis

The gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) and liquid metal ion beam have been studied in the context of ion beam usage for analytical equipment in applications such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). In particular, small ion sources are used for the secondary ion generation and ion etching. To set the context to this study, the SIMS project has been launched to develop ion-gun based analytical equipment for the Korea Basic Science Institute. The objective of the first stage of the project is the generation of argon beams with a GCIB system [A. Kirkpatrick, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. B 206, 830–837 (2003)] that consists of a nozzle, skimmer, ionizer, acceleration tube, separation system, transport system, and target. The Wien filter directs the selected cluster beam to the target system by exploiting the velocity difference of the generated particles from GCIB. In this paper, we present the theoretical modeling and three-dimensional electromagnetic analysis of the Wien filter, which can separate Ar{sup +}{sub 2500} clusters from Ar{sup +}{sub 2400} to Ar{sup +}{sub 2600} clusters with a 1-mm collimator.

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Beam physics research with the IOTA electron lens

The electron lens in the Fermilab Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) will enable new research in nonlinear integrable optics, space-charge compensation, electron cooling, and the stability of intense beams. This research addresses scientific questions on high-brightness beams and operational challenges of high-power accelerators for nuclear and particle physics. We review the roles that electron lenses play in this field and the physical principles behind their applications. The design criteria and specifications for the IOTA storage ring and electron lens are then discussed. We conclude with a description of the components of the apparatus.

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