H- extraction systems for CERN’s Linac4 H ion source

Linac4 is a 160 MeV linear H accelerator at CERN. It is an essential part of the beam luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and will be the primary injector into the chain of circular accelerators. It aims at increasing the beam brightness by a factor of 2, when compared to the currently used 50 MeV linear proton accelerator, Linac2. Linac4’s ion source is a cesiated RF-plasma H ion source. Several beam extraction systems were designed for H beams of 45 keV energy, 50 mA intensity and an electron to H ratio smaller than 5. The goal was to extract a beam with an rms-emittance of mm mrad. One of the main challenges in designing an H extraction system is dumping of the co-extracted electrons. Separating the electrons from the negative ions as early as possible reduces space-charge induced emittance-growth. However, a strong magnetic field close to the extraction might cause unnecessary strong deflection in a region of low beam energy. For this purpose a novel magnetic configuration was designed using a magnetic shield between the magnetic fields of the source and the electron dump, which conserves the filter field strength to keep the electron to H ratio low and effectively dumps the co-extracted electrons. Magnetic configuration and beam trajectories were calculated using the TOSCA Opera 3D code and IBSimu, respectively. Three extraction systems will be discussed in terms of electron dumping efficiency, emittance and transport through the extraction system and LEBT to the RFQ and compared to the simulations. An improved emittance conservation through the extraction system and LEBT is predicted and further design improvements are proposed. Measurements show that the novel electron dump successfully traps the co-extracted electrons.peerReviewe

H- beam emittance analysis in a multicusp ion source

Emittance of the ion beam extracted from an ion source is dependent on the initial focusing action at the plasma sheath. The properties of the plasma sheath is further dependent on the local electric fields and charge densities around the sheath. Experiments are conducted for creating different sets of conditions around the plasma sheath in an H- multicusp filament ion source and the resulting emittance of the extracted H- ion beam is measured. Variation of beam emittance under different plasma densities, electrode voltages and gas flows are analysed.peerReviewe

A Low Energy H- Beamline for the ALPHA Antihydrogen Experiment

The CERN ALPHA experiment makes precision measurements of antihydrogen atoms, confined in a superconducting magnetic minimum trap. Recent measurements of the antihydrogen spectrum have already provided high-resolution tests of fundamental symmetries, and ALPHA has now embarked on an ambitious upgrade programme aimed at directly comparing hydrogen and antihydrogen within their existing atom trap. One aspect of this upgrade will be the development of a low-energy (50 eV) hydrogen ion source that is compatible with ALPHA's existing magnetic charged particle beamlines. PELLIS, previously developed at JYFL, is a 5 keV filament-driven source that generates H- beams with low emittances and currents of up to 50 μA. Here, we explore the feasibility of a proposed electrostatic beamline design to transport H- ions from a PELLIS-type ion source into ALPHA's various particle traps. We present SIMION simulations that were used to develop the beamline, focusing on components such as a quadrupole switchyard and drift tube deceleration stage.peerReviewe

Investigation of ISIS and Brookhaven National Laboratory ion source electrodes after extended operation

Linac4 accelerator of Centre Européen de Recherches Nucléaires is under construction and a RFdriven H− ion source is being developed. The beam current requirement for Linac4 is very challenging: 80 mA must be provided. Cesiated plasma discharge ion sources such as Penning or magnetron sources are also potential candidates. Accelerator ion sources must achieve typical reliability figures of 95% and above. Investigating and understanding the underlying mechanisms involved with source failure or ageing is critical when selecting the ion source technology. Plasma discharge driven surface ion sources rely on molybdenum cathodes. Deformation of the cathode surfaces is visible after extended operation periods. A metallurgical investigation of an ISIS ion source is presented. The origin of the deformation is twofold: Molybdenum sputtering by cesium ions digs few tenths of mm cavities while a growth of molybdenum is observed in the immediate vicinity. The molybdenum growth under hydrogen atmosphere is hard and loosely bound to the bulk. It is, therefore, likely to peel off and be transported within the plasma volume. The observation of the cathode, anode, and extraction electrodes of the magnetron source operated at BNL for two years are presented. A beam simulation of H−, electrons, and Cs− ions was performed with the IBSimu code package to qualitatively explain the observations. This paper describes the operation conditions of the ion sources and discusses the metallurgical analysis and beam simulation results.peerReviewe

Correlations between density distributions, optical spectra, and ion species in a hydrogen plasma (invited)

An experimental study of plasma distributions in a 2.45 GHz hydrogen discharge operated at 100 Hz repetition rate is presented. Ultrafast photography, time integrated visible light emission spectra, time resolved Balmer-alpha emission, time resolved Fulcher Band emission, ion species mass spectra, and time resolved ion species fraction measurements have been implemented as diagnostic tools in a broad range of plasma conditions. Results of plasma distributions and optical emissions correlated with H + , H + 2 , and H + 3 ion currents by using a Wien filter system with optical observation capability are reported. The magnetic field distribution and strength is found as the most critical factor for transitions between different plasma patterns and ion populations.peerReviewe

Integrated Modeling of the Beam Formation and Extraction in the Linac4 Hydrogen Negative Ion Source

In order to make the predictive simulation tools for the extracted beam current and emittance in the Linac4 H− ion source, we have launched the development of the integrated model for the H− ion beam formation and extraction process. More specifically, our 3D KEIO-Beam Formation and eXtraction (3D KEIO-BFX) is coupled with the NINJA, IBSIMU and TRAVEL. The extracted H− ion beam current and co-extracted electron current obtained by the integrated model have shown reasonable agreement with the experiments.peerReviewe

The relationship between visible light emission and species fraction of the hydrogen ion beams extracted from 2.45 GHz microwave discharge

The relationship between Balmer-α and Fulcher-band emissions with extracted H + , H + 2 , and H + 3 ions is demonstrated for a 2.45 GHz microwave discharge. Ion mass spectra and optical measurements of Balmer-α and Fulcher-band emissions have been obtained with a Wien Filter having an optical viewport on the plasma chamber axis. The beam of approximately 1 mA is analyzed for different plasma conditions simultaneously with the measurement of light emissions both with temporal resolution. The use of visible light emissions as a valuable diagnostic tool for monitoring the species fraction of the extracted beams is proposed.peerReviewe

High current proton beams production at Simple Mirror Ion Source 37

This paper presents the latest results of high current proton beam production at Simple Mirror Ion Source (SMIS) 37 facility at the Institute of Applied Physics (IAP RAS). In this experimental setup, the plasma is created and the electrons are heated by 37.5 GHz gyrotron radiation with power up to 100 kW in a simple mirror trap fulfilling the ECR condition. Latest experiments at SMIS 37 were performed using a single-aperture two-electrode extraction system. Proton beams with currents up to 450 mA at high voltages below 45 kV were obtained. The maximum beam current density was measured to be 600 mA/cm2. A possibility of further improvement through the development of an advanced extraction system is discussed.peerReviewe