Non-uniform 3He polarization formed by multiple collisions of a fast 3He + ion with polarized Rb vapor in a strong magnetic field

Abstract

We investigated the spatial distribution of a polarization in 3He beam expected from a novel polarized 3He ion source based on electron pumping, i.e., multiple electron capture and stripping collisions of an incident fast 3He + ion with a polarized Rb vapor in a strong axial magnetic field. For this purpose, a Monte Carlo simulation was carried out for 19 keV 3He + ions with varying Rb vapor thickness, magnetic field, and beam emittance. The calculated results showed a distribution of the 3He polarization that we call a “polarization hole”, which has a low polarization area around the beam axis. The parameters characterizing the polarization hole, i.e., the polarization and radius of the hole, were found to depend on the Rb vapor thickness, the magnetic field, the beam size, and the angular divergence of the initial beam. These parameters were successfully reproduced with analytical functions deduced from a probability density function prescription. This provides a powerful tool to treat complex phenomena of multiple collisions in strong magnetic fields without performing time-consuming Monte Carlo calculations.