CERN PS laser ion source development

CERN, together with ITEP and TRINITI (Russia), is developing a CO2 laser ion source. The key design parameters are: 1.4 1010 ions of Pb25+ in a pulse of 5.5 ms, with a 4-rms emittance of 0.2 10-6 rad m, working at a repetition rate of 1 Hz. This device is considered as one candidate source for LHC heavy ion operation. The status of the laser development, the experimental set-up of the source consisting of the target area and its illumination, the plasma expansion area and extraction, beam transport and ion pre-acceleration by an RFQ, will be given

TWAC facility and the use of the laser ion source for production of intense heavy ion beams

Current activities on upgrading of the ITEP heavy ion accelerator complex in the framework of the ITEP-TWAC project are reported. The project being in progress since 1997 is aiming at production of intense (100 kJ/100 ns) heavy ion beams. The basic idea of the project is the application of the non-Liouvillian technique in an existing accelerator facility based on a heavy ion synchrotron for its adaptation to heavy ion fusion related experiments. Special attention is paid to the results on generation of highly charged medium mass and heavy ions in the laser produced plasma. Development of key elements of the laser ion source based on the use of a 100 J repetition rate CO/sub 2/-laser for filling of ITEP and CERN accelerator facilities in the single turn injection mode is presented. (4 refs)