Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source Research Articles

Initial Experimental Results on Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating Selectively Mixed Low Z Ions to Enhance Production Efficiency of Multicharged Ions on Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

According to the accessibility conditions of wave propagation in the magnetized plasma of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source (ECRIS), it is speculated that the essential factor that determines the limitations in the multiply charged ion currents is the left-hand polarization wave cutoff (L-cutoff). It is necessary to overcome this limitation, we proposed the introduction of ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) or lower hybrid resonance (LHR) by lower frequency waves. We conduct heating low-mass ions selectively in enhanced producing multiply charged ion by mixing low-mass element gas, which has been conventionally performed in ECRIS, or relaxation of the potential well based on the existence of resonant electron particles by ECR. This paper will describe the initial experimental results of ICR application by introducing low-frequency RF electromagnetic waves in the ECRIS.

Initial Experimental Results of Producing Multicharged Ions Efficiently by Lower Hybrid Resonance Heating with Exciting Helicon Waves on Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

Based on experimental results, we considered the accessibility conditions for wave propagation in the magnetized plasma in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source (ECRIS), and proposed introducing electromagnetic waves with frequencies lower than those of ECR. We generate the lower hybrid resonance (LHR) in the ECRIS by the electric field of the extra-ordinary mode (X-mode) on the helicon wave which additionally heat the electrons, and then it was conducted to improve the efficiency of multicharged ion generation successfully in over density condition. The electron energy distribution function obtained by the probe measurement shows an increase in the high-energy region in the corresponding LHR region. In this paper, for the first time we describe the initial experimental results on enhanced production of multicharged ions by the LHR of the low-frequency RF electromagnetic waves into the ECRIS.

Gas mixing and double frequency operation of the permanent magnet quadrupole minimum-B electron cyclotron resonance ion source CUBE-ECRIS

CUBE-ECRIS is a recently commissioned permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source developed at the university of Jyväskylä accelerator laboratory. The special features of the new ion source design include an unconventional quadrupole minimum-B magnetic field structure and a slit beam extraction system necessitated by the line-shaped plasma loss fluxes. Gas mixing and double frequency operation are widely used methods to optimize high charge state ion production of conventional ECR ion sources. The work presented here demonstrates the applicability of these methods for boosting the high charge state beam currents of argon, krypton and xenon extracted from CUBE-ECRIS. Oxygen and helium were used as mixing gases and microwave frequencies between 10 and 11 GHz were used for single and double frequency operation. Gas mixing has a strong impact on the high charge state beam currents. For example, the highest observed charge state increased from 15+ to 19+ for krypton and from 16+ to 23+ for xenon with oxygen gas mixing. Double frequency operation provides an additional performance improvement, for example the currents of argon 9+ and 11+ beams, produced with gas mixing, increased 30% and 100% in double frequency operation at the same total power.

Application of Optical Emission Spectroscopy to Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS) are widely used for production of highly charged high intensity ion beams for research, medical and industrial applications.ECRIS performances, especially the charge state distribution and beam intensity, depend significantly on the electron energy distribution function that ranges from a few eV to hundreds of keV. Further improvements of ECRIS performances require a deeper and deeper understanding of the plasma heating mechanisms and ion generation by means of opportune plasma diagnostics. Amongst others, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is the most remarkable for application in ECRIS: it is a non-invasive diagnostics able to operate also in high-voltage conditions and it requires small room for operation. OES has been already tested for plasma diagnostics in proton sources.This work presents the experimental set-up developed for the plasma diagnostics of the Advanced Ion Source for Hadrontherapy (AISHa), an ECRIS for medical applications, together with the strategy applied to relate plasma emission lines in the visible and near-infrared domain to plasma parameters for some ions of interest. Preliminary results and perspectives will be also discussed.

Time-resolved measurement of optical emission line profiles from electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma

Optical emission spectroscopy provides a non-invasive method to probe the properties of hot and highly charged magnetically confined plasmas. The optical emission line profiles enable, for example, to identify the different species and characterize the relative population densities and temperatures of the ions and neutrals forming the plasma. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated at the University of Jyväskylä accelerator laboratory by measuring the light emitted by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) plasma with a high-resolution spectrometer setup POSSU (Plasma Optical SpectroScopy Unit). In these previous studies, the emission line profiles were measured by scanning the desired wavelength range by rotating the diffraction grating of the spectrometer. This process is slow compared to many interesting plasma phenomena, thus limiting the applicability of the setup. Recently, POSSU has been upgraded by changing the light sensor from a photomultiplier tube to a position-sensitive imaging sensor. As a result, it is possible to measure simultaneously a 1 - 2 nm wavelength range, with a spectral resolution in the order of picometers, without moving the grating. This enables a time-resolved study of the optical emission line profiles. By turning the grating, the measured wavelength region can be chosen between 370 nm and 870 nm, which covers the visible light spectrum. The time-evolution of optical emission line profiles emitted from the JYFL 14 GHz ECRIS plasma, during shifting plasma conditions induced by changing the gas balance, has been measured to demonstrate this new capability. The time-evolution of temperatures and emission intensities of selected ion species, correlated with extracted ion beam currents, are presented.

Enhanced Production of Multicharged Ions by Mixing Low Z Gas and Emittance Measurement on Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

We have studied to enhance efficiency of producing multicharged ions in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS). The gas mixing method is known as an empirical method for highly efficient production of multicharged ions. This method is to mix low Z gas into the multicharged ions plasma. There are various explanations for the gas mixing effect. One of them is the ion cooling effect. It is necessary to obtain parameters related to the ion temperature in order to experimentally confirm the effect. We measured emittances for ion beams by using a wire probe and a multi-slit. He was mixed as a low Z gas into the operating Ar gas. Charged state distributions of ion beams was measured to confirm the gas mixing effect. We have also measured emittances for the multicharged Ar ion beams and compared root mean square emittances (ε rms) of those for pure Ar and Ar mixed by He. We confirmed that ε rms for Ar mixed by He was lower than that for pure Ar.

Experimental investigation of electrostatic capture of 1+ ions in charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma

We present comprehensive experimental data demonstrating that the capture process of the 1+ ions in charge breeder electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) is dominated by electrostatic deceleration by the ambipolar plasma potential, not by cumulative small-angle scattering of the incident ions in ion–ion collisions as postulated previously. To achieve this we varied the plasma potential of an ECRIS charge breeder by adjusting the microwave power applied to sustain the helium discharge and measured the corresponding shift in the optimum injection energy of the 1+ ions. The experiment was repeated with sodium, potassium, and cesium ions. It is shown that the optimum injection energy does not depend on the incident ion mass, which contradicts the collisional drag model. Conversely, the optimum injection energy (in eV) shifts in unison with the plasma potential (in V), which provides strong evidence for the electrostatic deceleration hypothesis.

Various Parameter Measurements in Single-Frequency Dual-ECR Heating on Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

We have been researching efficient generation of multi-charged ions on electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS). We can introduce microwaves from a coaxial antenna at the upstream side of the magnetic mirror field (Coaxial) and a rod antenna at the downstream side (Rod). Regardless of R-wave cutoff, ECR occurs at two resonance points by Dual-ECR heating which means introducing microwaves from both antennas and we succeeded in generating more multi-charged Ar ions. We measured beam currents and plasma parameters such as electron density and electron temperature and obtained their radial distributions. We found the beam currents of multi-charged Ar ions were highest by Dual-ECR heating.

Novel modelling of metal atoms diffusion and ion transport in ECR plasma relevant to ion sources and in-plasma nuclear physics studies

Metals can be injected into electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) via different techniques, among which resistive ovens are used to vaporize neutral materials, later captured by the energetic plasma that will step-wise ionize them, hence giving multiply charged ion beams for accelerators. Recently, PANDORA, a novel ECR plasma trap, has been conceived to perform interdisciplinary research spanning from nuclear physics to astrophysics, where in-plasma high charge states of metallic species are demanded. However, a full knowledge on the vaporization method and on the coupling of neutral atoms with plasma and its overall dynamics is still not available. Simulations, hence, are of fundamental relevance to improve the overall efficiency, reduce consumption of rare expensive isotopes, and to improve the ion source performance. We present a numerical study about metallic species suitable for oven injection in ECRIS, focusing on metals diffusion, transport, and wall deposition under molecular flow regime. We studied the metal dynamics with and without plasma. Results underline the plasma role on a space-dependent conversion yield, reflecting the strongly inhomogeneous ECR plasma. The plasma and its parameters have been modelled using an established self-consistent particle-in-cell model. The numerical tool is conceived for the PANDORA plasma trap but can be extended to other ECR plasmas and traps. As test cases we studied the 134Cs and 48Ca radioisotopes, as metals of interest for the modern nuclear physics. A focus is given on the β-decaying 134Cs, as an application case for PANDORA, providing quantitative estimates of the γ-detection signal-poisoning effect by neutral metals deposition at the chamber wall.

Status update of the ATLAS ECR ion sources at Argonne National Laboratory

The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) typically operates 24/7 with weekly ion beam changes and an annual 1 month maintenance period. Due to recent installations and upgrades at ATLAS, user demands for new beams and higher intensities have expanded an already diverse operational envelope of both electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS), ECR2 and ECR3. A variety of material introduction techniques including sputter, oven, reduction and gas feed were used to meet the challenge of an intense run schedule. With two ECRIS available to feed the accelerator, beam development and preparation were able to occur concurrently with ATLAS programmatic activities. Highlights of operational experiences and improvements with ECR2 and ECR3 over the last 2 years are presented.

Space-Charge Effects on Transverse Emittance in the Extraction Region of the RIKEN 28-GHz ECRIS

To confirm the significance of space-charge effects (SCEs) on the emittance growth in the “extraction region” of the RIKEN 28-GHz electron-cyclotron-resonance ion source (ECRIS), we reconstructed the phase-space distribution of argon (Ar) beams traveling through high-intensity nitrogen (N) beams and reaching at the end of “extraction region”. Here, the “extraction region” is defined as the low-energy beam transport region between the ECRIS puller electrode and a magnetic analyzer. The transverse phase-space distribution (PSD) of the Ar beams, which were exposed to the SCEs due to the high-intensity N beams, was measured after magnetic analysis using the pepper-pot emittance meter (PPEM). Because we suppressed each Ar beam current below 50 µA, the expansion in the transverse phase-space distribution due to the SCEs after the magnetic analyzer could be sufficiently reduced. Sufficient angular resolution was achieved by improving the image analysis of PPEM measurements with the “optical flow method”. Therefore, we obtained a transverse PSD at the endpoint of the extraction region of the ECRIS using the three dimensional backtracking. The obtained rms emittance of the Ar10,11,13+ were found to increas as a function of the extraction current I ext, while those of Ar16+ were found to be nearly constant. The reconstructed PSD at the end of the “extraction region” shows that the smaller the M/Q, in other words, the larger the charge state Q, the smaller both the positional and angular distribution for each I ext. To reveal the space charge effect on the beam trajectory passing though the “extraction region”, further experimental measurements and analyses are underway, including detailed trajectory simulation.

Commissioning and first operation of East Japan Heavy Ion Center at Yamagata University

A world smallest carbon ion radiotherapy facility, East Japan Heavy Ion Center, Yamagata University, started treatment operations in February 2021. The treatment system consists of an ECR ion source, an RFQ and IH-type drift tube linac, a 430 MeV/u synchrotron and a spot-scanning irradiation system. It has two treatment rooms, one is a fixed horizontal beam port and the other is a rotating gantry beam port with superconducting magnets. The ECR ion source is the Kei2-type permanent magnet 10 GHz ECR ion source with a maximum field of 0.8 T. All the improvements of the previous facilities are applied to the ion source, such as helium gas-assisted operation and changes in the shape of an anode electrode and an extraction electrode to reduce the discharge. Owing to these improvements, the ion source has been operated stably during the commissioning and clinical operation. The irradiation system of Yamagata University eliminated the plastic block range shifter to realize a compact gantry, and has 600 energy levels to control the beam range in step of 0.5 mm. In order to optimize the beam transport parameters quickly, automation tools for orbit correction were developed. Machine commissioning and clinical commissioning were carried out in parallel to allow treatment to begin earlier. First, the horizontal fixed beam port was commissioned by verifying the dose distribution of the treatment planning system. Then, the gantry beam port was commissioned by full beam distribution measurement for representing beam angle of 90 degree, and other angles were sequentially released after the compatibility measurement of beam position, beam size, and two-dimensional uniformity. In September 2022, we were able to accept all treatment sites. By August 2023, 1151 cancer patients had been treated. Further improvements to increase available gantry angle and to increase beam efficiency are ongoing.

Design and preliminary tests of an Active Plasma Chamber for ECR Ion Sources

An innovative plasma chamber for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS) has been developed at INFN and will soon be installed and tested with the AISHa (Advanced Ion Source for Hadrontherapy) ion source. It consists in inserting a particular liner into the existing chamber, which allows an electrical segmentation of the internal walls of the chamber. The purpose of this system is to reduce the ion losses induced by the anisotropic diffusion mechanism, to improve the plasma confinement and thus to increase the overall performance of the ion source. In fact, in ECRIS plasmas, electrons mostly diffuse along magnetic field lines while ions mostly leak across the same lines. In particular, the inner walls of the plasma chamber are covered with 30 tiles, each one polarized to a proper positive voltage. The tiles are made of Al-6082 and anodized except for the surface directly facing the plasma. The anodizing process makes each tile electrically insulated from the others and from the plasma chamber while preserving the correct operation of the cooling system. The tiles are wrapped by 2 half-cylinders made of Al-6082 acting as shells. Some tiles are equipped of a temperature sensor and machined to allow the wiring of the entire system.In this work the results of the preliminary tests of the thermal and electrical behaviour of the active chamber and the future perspectives are presented.

European effort to improve highly charged heavy ion beam capabilities with ECR ion sources (invited)

The European Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) community has more than 20 years of experience working together in various EU-funded projects. In the recent project, called ERIBS (European Research Infrastructure – Beam Services), the community will focus on improving ion beam services for the EURO-LABS (European-Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences) research infrastructures. The EURO-LABS is a four-year project funded by the Horizon Europe program of the European Commission for years 2022 - 2026. In the ERIBS collaboration the best expertise, know-how and practices of the ECRIS community will be exploited and transferred between the partners to take full advantage of the European ion source infrastructure. The aim is to extend the beam variety available for the European user community by developing beam production methods and techniques. This development includes further improvement of technologies related to high temperature ovens, axial sputtering and MIVOC method for all the participating laboratories. We will also aim to improve both short- and long-term plasma and beam stability, as well as methods for online monitoring of these conditions. This can be realized, for example, by optical emission spectroscopy, identifying kinetic plasma instabilities by means of hard x-ray detection and using online beam current monitoring systems. An example of the recent developments is the new collaboration proposed by the CNRS-IPHC team to synthesize enriched MIVOC compounds for the other ERIBS partners. For example, the team successfully prepared an enriched chromocene compounds, which were needed to produce intensive 54Cr and 50Cr beams for the JYFL and GANIL nuclear physics programs, respectively.

Roadmap for the increase of beam brilliance from ECRIS and Microwave Discharge Ion Sources

The requirements for future accelerator chains need to increase the injected beam brilliance significantly, still keeping high the beam quality in terms of reliability, reproducibility and stability. A roadmap for ion source development may consist of several steps: plasma simulation, multiphysics simulation of each system component, high-level control system, plasma characterization, beam characterization, data analysis and, again, plasma simulation. The cycle starts and ends with plasma simulation because it is the instrument that shows how different phenomena take part in the plasma and beam formation and because, in such a way, the accuracy grows with each cycle. Commercial multiphysics simulation tools are essential for adequately designing all ion source equipment: magnets, intense electrostatic field regions, microwave propagation and coupling, thermal dissipation and vacuum. The dependence of source performances from source parameters (magnetic field profile, gas pressure, microwave power) has been widely investigated using a high-level control system[1] able to test tens of thousands of source configurations without human interaction. This characterization technique allowed us to identify a new magnetic configuration, High Stability Microwave Discharge Ion Sources[2], that produces a beam with high stability, intensity and brilliance. The plasma simulation tool we developed discloses the role of two types of electrostatic waves in plasma formation and their correlation to stability. The simulation provides a complete view of ions and electrons energy and density distributions, the formation of the plasma meniscus and the beam extraction. The paper will present the results obtained with this development procedure on Microwave Discharge Ion Sources and how we started to apply it to the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources development.

ASTERICS, a new 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source for the SPIRAL2 accelerator

A new A/Q=7 injector is under development for the SPIRAL2 accelerator at Caen, France (NEWGAIN project). A new 28 GHz superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source named ASTERICS is under design for this project. The source features a modern cryostat and a large plasma chamber (91 mm radius and 600 mm length). The physical and technical motivations for a larger plasma volume are detailed and estimates of expected beam intensities enhancement are discussed. The source will mainly produce metallic ion beams: the concept of a temperature-controlled liner (up to 900°C) to stabilize high vapor pressure metal re-evaporation in the source is presented. The preliminary design of the ion source and its superconducting magnet are described.

Upgrade and Improvement of the TRIUMF ECRIS Charge State Booster

Recently, the RF system of the TRIUMF electron cyclotron resonance ion source charge state booster (ECRIS CSB) underwent an upgrade to implement two-frequency heating using a single waveguide. The injection and extraction optics, as well as the injection and extraction systems, were carefully modelled and systematically optimized to improve the efficiency and beam quality of the charge state booster. With optimized plasma and beam optics under the single-frequency heating regime, the maximum charge state of the 133Cs isotope produced was 27+, with the peak of the charge state distribution at Cs23+ with an efficiency of 8.5 %. However, with the implementation of two-frequency heating, the maximum charge state of Cs that can be produced increased to 32+, and the charge state distribution’s peak shifted to Cs26+ with an efficiency of 9.1 %. Additionally, the two-frequency heating resulted in a total beam RMS emittance that was approximately half of the one that was measured under the single-frequency heating due to the more pronounced negative potential dip created at the plasma center.

For intense proton beam production with compact ion sources: the ALISES ion source family developed at CEA Saclay

The production of intense proton beams in CEA Saclay started in the 90’s with the development of the SILHI source to inject the IPHI accelerator. This ECR ion source is still in operation nowadays. ECR plasma is a well-known heating process and plasma chamber internal dimensions were investigated in order to reduce size and maintenance time. In 2012 R&D investigations on those simple plasma chamber parameters were started with the design of the first ALISES ion source that will give birth to a new source family still in progress today. This paper will summarize the different steps of this development.

Beam Emittance Growth of Highly Charged Ion Beams from the RIKEN 28-GHz SC-ECRIS

Different factors that affect the beam emittance of highly charged ions extracted from the RIKEN 28-GHz superconducting ECR ion source have been investigated. Since the ion source parameters, space charge effects and various beamline components directly affect the beam quality, it was attempted to experimentally determine the different components that contribute to the beam emittance growth. From the experimental measurements, a beam emittance defined by the ion source has been evaluated based on a simple model calculation for space charge induced beam emittance. Ion beams using 40Ar11+ and 136Xe20+ ions were generated, and the beam emittance from the ion source and space charge were fitted from the experimental results. These parameters will be used to further evaluate the relationship between the extracted beam emittances and the ECR ion source parameters.

Producing intense uranium ion beam for RIKEN RI beam factory

Intense highly charged uranium (U) ion beams were produced using RIKEN 28 GHz superconducting electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source in a high-temperature oven (HTO). We used a double-oven system to ensure ample vapor supply. Moreover, we optimized the vapor delivery into the plasma at a constant microwave power input. Consequently, we achieved intense U-ion beams, specifically 250 eμA for U35+, 36 eμA for U46+, and 10 eμA for U54+, at an injected microwave power of approximately 3000 W. This achievement stems from recent advancements, notably the optimization of the material consumption rates aimed at maximizing beam intensity, which we briefly review here.