Abstract
Author(s): Zhao, HW; Sun, LT; Guo, JW; Lu, W; Xie, DZ; Hitz, D; Zhang, XZ; Yang, Y | Abstract: The superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source with advanced design in Lanzhou (SECRAL) is a superconducting-magnet-based electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) for the production of intense highly charged heavy ion beams. It is one of the best performing ECRISs worldwide and the first superconducting ECRIS built with an innovative magnet to generate a high strength minimum-B field for operation with heating microwaves up to 24-28 GHz. Since its commissioning in 2005, SECRAL has so far produced a good number of continuous wave intensity records of highly charged ion beams, in which recently the beam intensities of Ar4012+ and Xe12926+ have, for the first time, exceeded 1 emA produced by an ion source. Routine operations commenced in 2007 with the Heavy Ion accelerator Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), China. Up to June 2017, SECRAL has been providing more than 28,000 hours of highly charged heavy ion beams to the accelerator demonstrating its great capability and reliability. The great achievement of SECRAL is accumulation of numerous technical advancements, such as an innovative magnetic system and an efficient double-frequency (24+18 GHz) heating with improved plasma stability. This article reviews the development of SECRAL and production of intense highly charged ion beams by SECRAL focusing on its unique magnet design, source commissioning, performance studies and enhancements, beam quality and long-term operation. SECRAL development and its performance studies representatively reflect the achievements and status of the present ECR ion source, as well as the ECRIS impacts on HIRFL.
Highlights
electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) is a plasma device dedicated to the production of intense singly and highly charged ion beams [1]
SECRAL is the first ECR ion source built with a novel magnet structure, which results in the smallest superconducting magnet for an ECR ion source, for operations at 24 GHz microwave frequency
From initial commissioning at 18 GHz to high power 24 GHz regular operation, beam intensities have been increased by a factor of 3 to 10 for those typical highly charged ion beams such as 129Xe30þ and 209Bi31þ
Summary
ECRIS (electron cyclotron resonance ion source) is a plasma device dedicated to the production of intense singly and highly charged ion beams [1]. High magnetic fields would need to use superconducting magnets and one must cite the early pioneering developments of superconducting ECRISs which, were operated at rather low fields and frequencies These trailblazers include ECREVIS [11,12,13], the first superconducting-magnetbased ECRIS developed in 1983 in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; Jülich ICIS [14], commissioned in 1988 in Wilhelm-Johnen, Germany; MSU SCECR [15], a 6.4 GHz ECRIS commissioned in 1989 in East Lansing, USA, and INFN SERSE [16,17], developed in the early 1990s in Grenoble and Catania. Following SECRAL came several more third generation performing ECRISs, such as SuSI at NSCL/MSU [20,21], RIKEN-SCECR [22], and KBSISCECR [23] These third generation ECRISs have successfully enhanced by a factor 2–10 the ion beam current, and delivered new high ion charge states. After a brief reminder of ECRIS principles, this article reviews the development of SECRAL mostly in terms of magnetic structure design and microwave coupling
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