0000000000060535
AUTHOR
Thomas Thuillier
Diagnostics of a charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion source helium plasma with the injection ofNa231+ions
This work describes the utilization of an injected 23Na1+ ion beam as a diagnostics of the helium plasma of a charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion source. The obtained data allows estimating the upper limit for the ion-ion collision mean-free path of the incident sodium ions, the lower limit of ion-ion collision frequencies for all charge states of the sodium ions and the lower limit of the helium plasma density. The ion-ion collision frequencies of high charge state ions are shown to be at least on the order of 1–10 MHz and the plasma density is estimated to be on the order of 1011 cm−3 or higher. The experimental results are compared to simulations of the 23Na1+ capture into t…
Recent improvements of the LPSC charge breeder
International audience; PSC has developed the PHOENIX electron cyclotron resonance Charge Breeder since 2000. The performances have been improved over time acting on the 1+ and N+ beam optics, the base vacuum and the 1+ beam injection. A new objective is to update the booster design to enhance high charge state production and 1+ N+ efficiencies, reduce the co-extracted background beam and improve the ion source tunability. The first step, consisting in increasing the peak magnetic field at injection from 1.2 T to 1.6 T was implemented and significant improvement in 1+N+ efficiencies are reported: 12.9% of 23Na8+, 24.2% of 40Ar8+, 13.3% of 132Xe26+ and 13% of 133Cs26+. The next steps of the …
Effects of magnetic configuration on hot electrons in a minimum-B ECR plasma
International audience; To investigate the hot electron population and the appearance of kinetic instabilities in highly charged electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), the axially emitted bremsstrahlung spectra and microwave bursts emitted from ECRIS plasma were synchronously measured on SECRAL-II (Superconducting ECR ion source with Advanced design in Lanzhou No. II) ion source with various magnetic field configurations. The experimental results show that when the ratio of the minimum field to the resonance field (i.e. Bmin/Becr ) is less than ~0.8, the bremsstrahlung spectral temperature Ts increases linearly with the Bmin/Becr –ratio when the injection, extraction and radial mi…
Optimizing charge breeding techniques for ISOL facilities in Europe: conclusions from the EMILIE project
ThuM07; International audience; The present paper summarizes the results obtained from the past few years in the framework ofthe Enhanced Multi-Ionization of short-Lived Isotopes for Eurisol (EMILIE) project. The EMILIEproject aims at improving the charge breeding techniques with both Electron Cyclotron ResonanceIon Sources (ECRIS) and Electron Beam Ion Sources (EBISs) for European Radioactive Ion Beam(RIB) facilities. Within EMILIE, an original technique for debunching the beam from EBIS chargebreeders is being developed, for making an optimal use of the capabilities of CW post-acceleratorsof the future facilities. Such a debunching technique should eventually resolve duty cycle andtime st…
Injected 1+ ion beam as a diagnostics tool of charge breeder ECR ion source plasmas
International audience; Charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (CB-ECRIS) are used as 1+ →n+ charge multiplication devices of post-accelerated radioactive ion beams. The charge breeding process involves thermalization of the injected 1+ ions with the plasma ions in ion–ion collisions, subsequent ionization by electron impact and extraction of the n+ ions. Charge breeding experiments of 85Rb and 133Cs ion beams with the 14.5 GHz PHOENIX CB-ECRIS operating with oxygen gas demonstrate the plasma diagnostics capabilities of the 1+ injection method. Two populations can be distinguished in the m/q-spectrum of the extracted ion beams, the low (1+ and 2+) charge states repres…
Ion source research and development at University of Jyväskylä: Studies of different plasma processes and towards the higher beam intensities
MonPS16; International audience; The long-term operation of high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion sources fed withhigh microwave power has caused damage to the plasma chamber wall in several laboratories.Porosity, or a small hole, can be progressively created in the wall on a year time scale, which cancause a water leak from the cooling system into the plasma chamber vacuum. A burnout of theVENUS chamber is investigated. Information on the hole formation and on the necessary localhot electron power density is presented. Next, the hot electron flux to the wall is studied bymeans of simulations. First, the results of a simple model assuming that electrons are fullymagnetized and …
The effect of plasma instabilities on the background impurities in charge breeder ECRIS
International audience; Experimental observations of plasma instabilities in the 14.5 GHz PHOENIX charge breeder ECRIS are summarized. It has been found that the injection of 133Cs+ or 85Rb+ into oxygen discharge of the CB-ECRIS can trigger electron cyclotron instabilities, which results to sputtering of the surfaces exposed to the plasma, followed by up to an order of magnitude increase of impurity currents in the extracted n+ charge state distribution. The transition from stable to unstable plasma regime is caused by gradual accumulation and ionization of Cs/Rb altering the discharge parameters in 10 - 100 ms time scale, not by a prompt interaction between the incident ion beam and the EC…
Effects of magnetic configuration on hot electrons in a minimum-B ECR plasma
To investigate the hot electron population and the appearance of kinetic instabilities in highly charged electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), the axially emitted bremsstrahlung spectra and microwave bursts emitted from ECRIS plasma were synchronously measured on SECRAL-II (Superconducting ECR ion source with Advanced design in Lanzhou No. II) ion source with various magnetic field configurations. The experimental results show that when the ratio of the minimum field to the resonance field (i.e. Bmin/Becr) is less than ~0.8, the bremsstrahlung spectral temperature Ts increases linearly with the Bmin/Becr–ratio when the injection, extraction and radial mirror fields are kept const…
Method for estimating charge breeder ECR ion source plasma parameters with short pulse 1+ injection of metal ions
Abstract A new method for determining plasma parameters from beam current transients resulting from short pulse 1+ injection of metal ions into a charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion source has been developed. The proposed method relies on few assumptions, and yields local values for the ionisation times 1 / n e σ v q → q + 1 inz , charge exchange times 1 / n 0 σ v q → q − 1 cx , the ion confinement times τ q , as well as estimates for the minimum plasma energy contents n e E e and the plasma triple products n e E e τ q . The method is based on fitting the current balance equation on the extracted beam currents of high charge state ions, and using the fitting coefficients to dete…
Plasma instabilities of a charge breeder ECRIS
International audience; Experimental observation of plasma instabilities in a charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion source (CB-ECRIS) is reported. It is demonstrated that the injection of 133Cs+ or 85Rb+ ion beam into the oxygen discharge of the CB-ECRIS can trigger electron cyclotron instabilities, which restricts the parameter space available for the optimization of the charge breeding efficiency. It is concluded that the transition from a stable to unstable plasma regime is caused by gradual accumulation and ionization of Cs/Rb and simultaneous change of the discharge parameters in 10–100 ms time scale, not by a prompt interaction between the incident ion beam and the ECRIS pla…
The role of seed electrons on the plasma breakdown and preglow of electron cyclotron resonance ion source
The 14 GHz Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source at University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physics (JYFL) has been operated in pulsed mode in order to study the plasma breakdown and preglow effect. It was observed that the plasma breakdown time and preglow characteristics are affected by seed electrons provided by a continuous low power microwave signal at secondary frequency. Sustaining low density plasma during the off-period of high power microwave pulses at the primary frequency shifts the charge state distribution of the preglow transient toward higher charge states. This could be exploited for applications requiring fast and efficient ionization of radioactive elements as proposed f…
Prospects for advanced electron cyclotron resonance and electron beam ion source charge breeding methods for EURISOL
International audience; As the most ambitious concept of isotope separation on line (ISOL) facility, EURISOL aims at producing unprecedented intensities of post-accelerated radioactive isotopes. Charge breeding, which transforms the charge state of radioactive beams from 1+ to an n+ charge state prior to postacceleration, is a key technology which has to overcome the following challenges: high charge states for high energies, efficiency, rapidity and purity. On the roadmap to EURISOL, a dedicated R&D is being undertaken to push forward the frontiers of the present state-of-the-art techniques which use either electron cyclotron resonance or electron beam ion sources. We describe here the gui…
Charge breeding time investigations of electron cyclotron resonance charge breeders
To qualify electron cyclotron resonance charge breeders, the method that is traditionally used to evaluate the charge breeding time consists in generating a rising edge of the injected beam current and measuring the time in which the extracted multicharged ion beam reaches 90% of its final current. It is demonstrated in the present paper that charge breeding times can be more accurately measured by injecting short pulses of 1 + ions and recording the time resolved responses of N + ions. This method is used to probe the effect of the 1 + ion accumulation in the plasma known to disturb the buffer gas plasma equilibrium and is a step further in understanding the large discrepancies reported in…