Progress of the High-Current EBIS Charge Breeder for the FRIB

Abstract

The ReA post-accelerator of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory employs an Electron-Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) as a charge breeder to reaccelerate rare-isotope beams to several MeV/u. The Facility for Rare-Isotope Beams (FRIB) is near completion and will provide RIB rates expected to exceed in some cases 1010 particles/s. The ReA EBIT operates with an electron current of 300 – 600 mA, corresponding to an electron current density of 170 – 340 A/cm2 and a maximum trap capacity of 1010 elementary charges, which can be insufficient to handle high FRIB rates. A High-Current Electron-Beam Ion Source (HCEBIS) has been constructed based on the backbones of the TEST EBIS from the Brookhaven National Laboratory. By using a 4-A electron beam, a current density of 298 A/cm2 and a maximum trap capacity of 2.4×10n elementary charges can be achieved. This paper presents the status of the HCEBIS. It also includes results of electron- and ion-beam simulations and discusses electron-beam commissioning plans.