A New Electron Cooler for the CERN Antiproton Decelerator (AD)

The current electron cooler at the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) at CERN was built in the second half of the 1970s and is thus well over 40 years old. It was built for the Initial Cooling Experiment (ICE) where stochastic and electron cooling were tested to ascertain the feasibility of using these techniques to generate high intensity antiproton beams for the SPpS. The ICE electron cooler was subsequently upgraded and installed in LEAR (Low Energy Antiproton Ring) to help generate intense beams of antiprotons at low energies. After the stop of the antiproton physics at LEAR in 1996 and two years of studies of electron cooling of Pb ions, the electron cooler was moved to the AD where it has been in use ever since. With the new ELENA ring becoming operational, a major consolidation project has been launched to extend the life of the AD and as a part of this a new electron cooler for the AD is being built. In this paper, we describe some of the design considerations and challenges of this project as well as the expected gains in terms of cooling performance

H- Ion Sources For CERN’s Linac4

The specifications set to the Linac4 ion source are: H- ion pulses of 0.5 ms duration, 80 mA intensity and 45 keV energy within a normalized emittance of 0.25 mmmrad RMS at a repetition rate of 2 Hz. In 2010, during the commissioning of a prototype based on H- production from the plasma volume, it was observed that the powerful co-extracted electron beam inherent to this type of ion source could destroy its electron beam dump well before reaching nominal parameters. However, the same source was able to provide 80 mA of protons mixed with a small fraction of H2+ and H3+ molecular ions. The commissioning of the radio frequency quadrupole accelerator (RFQ), beam chopper and H- beam diagnostics of the Linac4 are scheduled for 2012 and its final installation in the underground building is to start in 2013. Therefore, a crash program was launched in 2010 and reviewed in 2011 aiming at keeping the original Linac4 schedule with the following deliverables: Design and production of a volume ion source prototype suitable for 20-30 mA H- and 80 mA proton pulses at 45 keV by mid-2012. This first prototype will be dedicated to the commissioning of the low energy components of the Linac4. Design and production of a second prototype suitable for 40-50 mA H- based on an external RF solenoid plasma heating and cesiated-surface production mechanism in 2013 and a third prototype based on BNL’s Magnetron aiming at reliable 2 Hz and 80 mA H- operations in 2014. In order to ease the future maintenance and allow operation with Ion sources based on three different production principles, an ion source “front end” providing alignment features, pulsed gas injection, pumping units, beam tuning capabilities and pulsed bipolar high voltage acceleration was designed and is being produced. This paper describes the progress of the Linac4 ion source program, the design of the Front end and first ion source prototype. Preliminary results of the summer 2012 commissioning are presented. The outlook on the future prototype ion sources is sketched

Beam Formation Studies on the CERN IS03b H Source

An H- ion source is being operated at the new 160 MeV linear injector (Linac4) of the CERN accelerator complex. The source's plasma is of the Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma type (RF-ICP), without magnetic cusp and runs with Cs-loss compensation [1]. Vertical downward oriented filter- and electron dump-dipolar magnetic fields expand over the plasma chamber, beam-formation, beam-extraction and electron dump regions and generate horizontal asymmetry and beam angular deflection partially compensated by mechanical alignment of the front-end. The H- beam is generated via volume and caesiated plasma surface modes, the latter inducing a radial asymmetry characterized by an increased current density close to the plasma electrode surface [2]. Asymmetries affecting the meniscus shape, or its current density have to be simulated via 3D Particle In Cell Monte Carlo (PIC-MC) solvers, such as the Orsay Negative Ion eXtraction code (ONIX) [3]. Validation of these simulations require dedicated measurements. This contribution describes experimental methods newly implemented at CERN's ion source test stand and initial results for Optical and Beam Emission Spectroscopy (OES, BES), emittance and beam profile measurements. In a later stage, the gathered data sets can be compared to source plasma parameters and extracted beam parameters from PIC-MC simulations, once coupled to the Ion Beam Simulation (IBSimu) [4] beam transport code. The experimental parameter space includes RF-power, density of neutrals, position of the RF coil and extraction field. Beams of H-, D- and protons were produced; examples of measured data are presented in this contribution.peerReviewe

Correlation of H−^{-} beam properties to Cs-coverage

A caesiated RF driven source delivers H$^{-}$ ions that, after stripping at the end of the 160 MeV H$^{-}$ linear injector, provides protons to CERN's accelerator complex including LHC, where the protons reached a record energy of 6.8 TeV. In Caesiated RF sources, H$^{-}$ ions are produced via dissociative attachment of electrons onto roto-vibrationally excited H$_{2}$-molecules (volume) and re-emission as negative ions of protons or hydrogen atoms colliding on a low work function caesiated molybdenum plasma electrode (surface). During initial caesiation, the production mechanism evolves from the initial Cs-free volume production to a predominant surface production mode; the observed stunning reduction of co-extracted electrons is concomitant to an increase of the H$^{-}$ ion current to RF-power yield. This paper describes the evolution of the beam-profile at today's operational beam intensities of 35 mA for various ratios of volume and surface ion-origin. The presence of surface produced ions occurring on a conical plane is characterized by the electron to ion ratio and by measurement of the Cs-coverage of the molybdenum plasma electrode down to a fraction of a monolayer. Angular distributions are extracted from beam profile and Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) measurements. These experimental results provide an initial comparison to beam formation simulation that, at a later stage, could be coupled to beam transport software packages.The paper focuses on the caaesiation transient to present experimental evidence for 3D beam formation studies, it provides insight into the mixing of volume and surface production modes, reduction of co-extracted electrons and Cs-coverage. The paper also establishes magnetic field induced asymmetries in the beam's current density

Status and Operation of the Linac4 Ion Source Prototypes

CERN’s Linac4 45 kV H- ion sources prototypes are installed at a dedicated ion source test stand and in the Linac4 tunnel. The operation of the pulsed hydrogen injection, RF sustained plasma and pulsed high voltages are described. The first experimental results of two prototypes relying on 2MHz RF- plasma heating are presented. The plasma is ignited via capacitive coupling, and sustained by inductive coupling. The light emitted from the plasma is collected by viewports pointing to the plasma chamber wall in the middle of the RF solenoid and to the plasma chamber axis. Preliminary measurements of optical emission spectroscopy and photometry of the plasma have been performed. The design of a cesiated ion source is presented. The volume source has produced a 45 keV H- beam of 16-22 mA which has successfully been used for the commissioning of the LEBT, RFQ and chopper of Linac4

Linac4 H− ion sources

CERN’s 160 MeV H−linear accelerator (Linac4) is a key constituent of the injector chain upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider that is being installed and commissioned. A cesiated surface ion source prototype is being tested and has delivered a beam intensity of 45 mA within an emittance of 0.3 π ⋅ mm ⋅ mrad. The optimum ratio of the co-extracted electron- to ion-current is below 1 and the best production efficiency, defined as the ratio of the beam current to the 2 MHz RF-power transmitted to the plasma, reached 1.1 mA/kW. The H−source prototype and the first tests of the new ion sourceoptics, electron-dump, and front end developed to minimize the beam emittance are presented. A temperature regulated magnetron H−source developed by the Brookhaven National Laboratory was built at CERN. The first tests of the magnetron operated at 0.8 Hz repetition rate are described

CERN’s Linac4 cesiated surface H−^{-} source

Linac4 cesiated surface H$^{-}$ sources are routinely operated for the commissioning of the CERN’s Linac4 and on an ion source test stand. Stable current of 40-50 mA are achieved but the transmission through the LEBT of 80% was below expectations and triggered additional beam simulation and characterization. The H$^{-}$ beam profile is not Gaussian and emittance measurements are larger than simulation. The status of ongoing development work is described; 36 mA H$^{-}$ and 20 mA D$^{-}$ beams were produced with a 5.5 mm aperture cesiated surface ion source. The emittances measured at the test stand are presented. During a preliminary test, the Linac4 proton source delivered a total beam intensity of 70 mA (p, H2$^{+}$, H3$^{+}$)