D. S. Todd

Status report of the 28GHz superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source VENUS (invited)

The superconducting versatile electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source for nuclear science (VENUS) is a next generation superconducting ECR ion source designed to produce high-current, high-charge-state ions for the 88-Inch Cyclotron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. VENUS also serves as the prototype ion source for the rare isotope accelerator (RIA) front end, where the goal is to produce intense beams of medium-charge-state ions. Example beams for the RIA accelerator are 15pμA of Kr17+(260eμA), 12pμA of Xe20+ (240eμA of Xe20+), and 8pμA of U28+(230eμA). To achieve these high currents, VENUS has been optimized for operation at 28GHz, reaching maximal confinement fields of 4 and 3T axially and over 2.2T on the plasma chamber wall radially. After a commissioning phase at 18GHz, the source started the 28GHz operation in the summer of 2004. During that ongoing 28GHz commissioning process, record ion-beam intensities have been extracted. For instance, measured extracted currents for the low t...

Measurements of bremsstrahlung production and x-ray cryostat heating in VENUS

The VENUS superconducting electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source is designed to operate at 28 GHz with up to 10 kW of rf power. Most of this power is absorbed by the plasma electrons and then dumped onto the plasma chamber wall. The distribution of heating and bremsstrahlung production is highly nonuniform and reflects the geometry of the magnetic confinement fields. The nonuniform distribution of electron losses to the wall results in localized heating on the aluminum chamber walls, which can lead to burnout. In addition, part of the bremsstrahlung produced by the collision of the hot-electrons with the walls is absorbed by the cold mass of the superconducting magnet leading to an additional heat load in the cryostat in the order of several watts. Therefore a new plasma chamber has been installed that incorporates a high-Z tantalum shield to reduce the cryostat heating and enhance water cooling to minimize the chance of burnout. In order to better understand the heat load, the spectrum of the brem...

High intensity production of high and medium charge state uranium and other heavy ion beams with VENUS.

The next generation, superconducting electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source VENUS (versatile ECR ion source for nuclear science) started operation with 28 GHz microwave heating in 2004. Since then it has produced world record ion beam intensities. For example, 2850 e microA of O(6+), 200 e microA of U(33+) or U(34+), and in respect to high charge state ions, 1 e microA of Ar(18+), 270 e microA of Ar(16+), 28 e microA of Xe(35+), and 4.9 e microA of U(47+) have been produced. A brief overview of the latest developments leading to these record intensities is given and the production of high intensity uranium beams is discussed in more detail.

Measurement of the high energy component of the x-ray spectra in the VENUS electron cyclotron resonance ion source

High performance electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources, such as VENUS (Versatile ECR for NUclear Science), produce large amounts of x-rays. By studying their energy spectra, conclusions can be drawn about the electron heating process and the electron confinement. In addition, the bremsstrahlung from the plasma chamber is partly absorbed by the cold mass of the superconducting magnet, adding an extra heat load to the cryostat. Germanium or NaI detectors are generally used for x-ray measurements. Due to the high x-ray flux from the source, the experimental setup to measure bremsstrahlung spectra from ECR ion sources is somewhat different from that for the traditional nuclear physics measurements these detectors are generally used for. In particular, the collimation and background shielding can be problematic. In this paper, we will discuss the experimental setup for such a measurement, the energy calibration and background reduction, the shielding of the detector, and collimation of the x-ray flux. We will present x-ray energy spectra and cryostat heating rates depending on various ion source parameters, such as confinement fields, minimum B-field, rf power, and heating frequency.

Fourth generation electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (invited)a)

The concepts and technical challenges related to developing a fourth generation electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source with a rf frequency greater than 40 GHz and magnetic confinement fields greater than twice B(ECR) will be explored in this article. Based on the semiempirical frequency scaling of ECR plasma density with the square of operating frequency, there should be significant gains in performance over current third generation ECR ion sources, which operate at rf frequencies between 20 and 30 GHz. While the third generation ECR ion sources use NbTi superconducting solenoid and sextupole coils, the new sources will need to use different superconducting materials, such as Nb(3)Sn, to reach the required magnetic confinement, which scales linearly with rf frequency. Additional technical challenges include increased bremsstrahlung production, which may increase faster than the plasma density, bremsstrahlung heating of the cold mass, and the availability of high power continuous wave microwave sources at these frequencies. With each generation of ECR ion sources, there are new challenges to be mastered, but the potential for higher performance and reduced cost of the associated accelerator continues to make this a promising avenue for development.

COMPARISON OF EXTRACTION AND BEAM TRANSPORT SIMULATIONS WITH EMITTANCE MEASUREMENTS FROM THE ECR ION SOURCE VENUS

The versatility of ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) ion sources makes them the injector of choice for many heavy ion accelerators. However, the design of the LEBT (Low Energy Beam Transport) systems for these devices is challenging, because it has to be matched for a wide variety of ions. In addition, due to the magnetic confinement fields, the ion density distribution across the extraction aperture is inhomogeneous and charge state dependent. In addition, the ion beam is extracted from a region of high axial magnetic field, which adds a rotational component to the beam. In this paper the development of a simulation model (in particular the initial conditions at the extraction aperture) for ECR ion source beams is described. Extraction from the plasma and transport through the beam line are then simulated with the particle-in-cell code WARP. Simulations of the multispecies beam containing Uranium ions of charge state 18+ to 42+ and oxygen ions extracted from the VENUS ECR ion source are presented and compared to experimentally obtained emittance values.

Development status of a next generation ECRIS: MARS-D at LBNL

To demonstrate a Mixed Axial and Radial field System (MARS) as the best magnet scheme for future ECRISs, MARS-D, a demonstrative ECRIS using a NbTi MARS magnet is progressing at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. An optimized MARS design can use either NbTi or Nb3Sn coils with reduced engineering complexities to construct the needed high-field magnets. The optimized magnet design could enhance MARS-D to a next generation ECRIS by producing minimum-B field maxima of 5.6 T axially and 3.2 T radially for operating frequencies up to 45 GHz. In-progress test winding has achieved a milestone demonstrating the fabrication feasibility of a MARS closed-loop coil.

Nb3Sn superconducting magnets for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources are an essential component of heavy-ion accelerators. Over the past few decades advances in magnet technology and an improved understanding of the ECR ion source plasma physics have led to remarkable performance improvements of ECR ion sources. Currently third generation high field superconducting ECR ion sources operating at frequencies around 28 GHz are the state of the art ion injectors and several devices are either under commissioning or under design around the world. At the same time, the demand for increased intensities of highly charged heavy ions continues to grow, which makes the development of even higher performance ECR ion sources a necessity. To extend ECR ion sources to frequencies well above 28 GHz, new magnet technology will be needed in order to operate at higher field and force levels. The superconducting magnet program at LBNL has been developing high field superconducting magnets for particle accelerators based on Nb(3)Sn superconducting technology for several years. At the moment, Nb(3)Sn is the only practical conductor capable of operating at the 15 T field level in the relevant configurations. Recent design studies have been focused on the possibility of using Nb(3)Sn in the next generation of ECR ion sources. In the past, LBNL has worked on the VENUS ECR, a 28 GHz source with solenoids and a sextupole made with NbTi operating at fields of 6-7 T. VENUS has now been operating since 2004. We present in this paper the design of a Nb(3)Sn ECR ion source optimized to operate at an rf frequency of 56 GHz with conductor peak fields of 13-15 T. Because of the brittleness and strain sensitivity of Nb(3)Sn, particular care is required in the design of the magnet support structure, which must be capable of providing support to the coils without overstressing the conductor. In this paper, we present the main features of the support structure, featuring an external aluminum shell pretensioned with water-pressurized bladders, and we analyze the expected coil stresses with a two-dimensional finite element mechanical model.

Design of a

The next generation of Electron Cyclotron Resonant (ECR) ion sources are expected to operate at a heating radio frequency greater than 40 GHz. The existing 3rd generation systems, exemplified by the state of the art system VENUS, operate in the 10-28 GHz range, and use NbTi superconductors for the confinement coils. The magnetic field needed to confine the plasma scales with the rf frequency, resulting in peak fields on the magnets of the 4th generation system in excess of 10 T. High field superconductors such as Nb3Sn must therefore be considered. The magnetic design of a 4th. generation ECR ion source operating at an rf frequency of 56 GHz is considered. The analysis considers both internal and external sextupole configurations, assuming commercially available Nb3Sn material properties. Preliminary structural design issues are discussed based on the forces and margins associated with the coils in the different configurations, leading to quantitative data for the determination of a final magnet design.

{\rm Nb}_{3}{\rm Sn}

The particle-in-cell code WARP has been enhanced to incorporate both two- and three-dimensional sheath extraction models giving WARP the capability of simulating entire ion beam transport systems including the extraction of beams from plasma sources. In this article, we describe a method of producing initial ion distributions for plasma extraction simulations in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources based on experimentally measured sputtering on the source biased disk. Using this initialization method, we present preliminary results for extraction and transport simulations of an oxygen beam and compare them with experimental beam imaging on a quartz viewing plate for the superconducting ECR ion source VENUS.