Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source Research Articles

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.

New Technique of Injecting Radioactive Ions into Charge Breeding ECR Ion Source

Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University started a project to develop the reacceleration of radioactive ions using the two operational cyclotrons and a Charge Breeding ECR ion source. The radioactive ions are produced primarily via (p,n) reactions using the IGISOL technique. The reaction products are transported into a Charge Breeder ECR ion source where their charge state is boosted from 1+ to higher charge states. The transport of the radioactive products and the injection into the ion source are very important for the efficiency of charge breeding. Two techniques have been used: acceleration–deceleration method (classic) and low - energy RF-only sextupole ion guide transport and injection method (innovative technique). The last method appears to be very efficient and great charge breeding efficiency was observed. The presentation of the entire project, the new injection technique, experimental results, and future plans will be discussed.

A protype of compact and high-yield DD neutron generator

Neutron generators are widely utilized in various fields, including scientific research, activation analysis, and detection of IED or drugs, due to their high neutron yield, safety, and flexibility. In this paper, we report about the development of a compact and high-yield dd neutron generator based on an Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. The ion source to produce a high-intensity ion beam, which is used to bombard a water-cooled solid metal target. By means of the (D, D) nuclear reaction, 2.5MeV neutrons are generated. We describe the detailed design of this compact dd neutron generator and present the preliminary measurement results of its neutron yield, as measured by a calibrated 3He neutron detector. The generator has been tested for nearly 300 hours, demonstrating stable operation without any component damage. With its compact size, high yield, and long lifespan, this generator could meet the demand for a 2.5MeV neutron source in many scientific research and select industrial applications.

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.

Design and beam dynamics simulation of an 8 MeV compact accelerator-driven neutron source

A compact accelerator-driven neutron source is proposed at Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, called Sun Yat-Sen University Proton Accelerator Facility (SYSU-PAFA). The proton accelerator is composed of a proton electron cyclotron resonance source, a four-vane radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ), and an alternative phase focusing drift tube linac (APF-DTL). It can accelerate 10 mA proton beam to 8 MeV. Due to the high current, beam matching is particularly important. In order to achieve beam matching between various components, beam transport sections are needed. The beam transport line is divided into three segments. The Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) ensures that the beam parameters are matched before entering the RFQ. The Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) segment efficiently transfers the beam between the RFQ and DTL. The High Energy Beam Transport (HEBT) focuses on transporting the beam to the targets. The design goal of beam transport line is as short as possible while ensuring high efficiency of beam transportation. SYSU-PAFA has an overall transmission efficiency of 99%, with optimal transverse matching conditions between beam transport and RFQ or DTL accelerators. The efficient use of solenoids and magnets allows for a compact transmission section, resulting in a total length of 13.6 meters, shorter than most accelerators at the same beam energy. This paper will provide the detailed beam dynamics of the compact accelerator.

Dual Frequency Enhancement of the Supernanogan Multi-Charged Ion Source at TRIUMF ISAC Facility

In 2008, a Supernanogan ECR ion source from PANTECHNIK was introduced in addition to an in-house developed microwave ion source and a surface ion source to complement the TRIUMF Offline Ion Source (OLIS) facility to provide highly charged ions to ISAC experiments. Originally, it employed a 400 W Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) for RF heating, but less than 50 W was enough to produce all the multi-charged beams required by the experiments. A 50 W solid-state amplifier was added for redundancy purposes, but we found a significant improvement when both were switched on at the same time. When properly optimized for the dual frequency, less than ten times the total power is needed to produce a similar charge state distribution with more current than the single frequency. The beam stability and the ability to extract higher charged ions also improved with the dual frequency enhancement. The simulation studies, operational experience, and results are discussed in this paper.

Compact Monoenergetic Proton Generator in MeV Region Using NANOGAN

For simple applications, such as the calibration of a charged particle detector, a multi-MeV proton generator may be preferable to cyclotrons or electrostatic accelerators such as Van de Graaff. Thus, a compact proton generating system, consisting of 10Ghz ECR ion source NANOGAN and a deuteron target, was developed at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics at Osaka University. A 3He2+ beam was generated by the NANOGAN with the acceleration voltage of 20∼45 kV in an experiment that utilized the fusion reaction 3He + deuteron (d) → proton(p) + 4He. The monochromatic protons with energies of 14.67 MeV were successfully obtained at the atmosphere side of the target in the experimental setup, when a novel target base with a thin metal foil and Polyimide film window are used.

RF Frequency Combining for the ATLAS ECR Ion Sources

The ECR2 and ECR3 ion sources at the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) operate with two microwave frequencies, improving their performance over single frequency operation. A typical method for transmitting both microwave frequencies is by having two separate frequency generators with their own corresponding amplifiers. These amplifiers transmit their microwaves into the ion source using separate waveguides. Another method that is investigated is to combine the low power microwave frequencies with a splitter/combiner and input the combined signals into the high-power amplifier, where the combined signal is amplified and transmitted down a single waveguide into the ion source. These different methods for delivering microwave power with multiple frequencies are compared, focusing on the average charge state and the intensities of each of the charge states for an oxygen plasma produced by the ECR2 ion source.This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. This research used resources of ANL’s ATLAS facility, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Permanent magnet ECR ion source and LEBT dipole for single-ended heavy ion ToF-ERDA facility

We present the status of the ion source and low energy beam transport prototyping for a single-ended heavy ion time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis equipment. The environmentally friendly concept is based on a permanent magnet ECR ion source and dipole magnet on a 500 kV platform without SF6 insulation, producing high charge state noble gas ion beams, e.g. 3–6 MeV argon. The ion fluxes of Ar6+–Ar12+ achieved with the CUBE-ECRIS permanent magnet minimum-B quadrupole ion source exceed 1-10 particle nA required for the low energy ToF-ERDA application. The CUBE-ECRIS can produce over 1 particle nA krypton and xenon beams up to charge states Kr19+ and Xe24+, which enables extending the scope of the ToF-ERDA application. The integration of an adjustable-field permanent magnet dipole into the CUBE-ECRIS test stand at the JYFL accelerator laboratory is described briefly.

A new proton injector based on PKU-type 2.45GHz PMECR ion source for BNCT facility

A first fully domestically Accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy demonstration device(AB-BNCT) located in Yangtze River Delta region is being build recently. The project is held by “Xi’an Jiaotong University-Huzhou Neutron Science Laboratory” joint lab established by Xi’an Jiaotong University and Huzhou Industrial Group. The AB-BNCT facility requires a proton beam of 30 mA@40 keV at RFQ entrance, with its beam duty cycle between 0.5%-100%, and its normalized root mean square emittance less than 0.2 π.mm.mrad. Ion source group of Peking University (PKU) is in charge of the proton ion source and its low energy beam transportation section (LEBT). A PKU type compact permanent magnet 2.45 GHz ECR ion source (PKU-Type PMECR) and a two solenoid LEBT is under development for this purpose. So far, the PMECR ion source conditioning is complete and all parameters are better than required for this facility. The details will be presented in the present paper.

Angular Distribution of Bremsstrahlung Spectral Temperature Measured in a Full Dimension of ECR Ion Source Using NaI(TI) Detector

Measurement of angular distribution (AD) of the bremsstrahlung spectral temperature from a full dimension of the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) along the beam axis is challenging. To overcome some challenges, this paper presents the AD of the bremsstrahlung spectral temperature measured in a full dimension of the ECRIS along the beam axis using data obtained from the Busan Center of Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). The bremsstrahlung spectral temperature from 28-GHz ECR Ion source at the KBSI was measured in six, three, and nine azimuthal angles at the injection, centre, and extraction sides of the ECRIS using three round type thallium-activated sodium iodide (NaI(TI)) scintillation detectors. Monte Carlo simulation based on the Geant4 software package was performed to take the geometrical acceptance and energy-dependent detection efficiency into account due to large non-uniformity in the material budget. True bremsstrahlung energy spectra from the 28-GHz ECR ion source were obtained using the inverse-matrix deconvolution method. The unfolding method was based on a full geometry of the Geant4 model of the ECRIS plasma. The results show that in all three measurement locations, the highest value of the spectral temperature was at an angle of 30∘ coincident with one of the maximum angles of the ECRIS plasma shape.

Characterization of hydrogen plasma bulk in 2.45 GHz ECR ion source

Electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) as the front-end for the neutral beam injection (NBI) system has production potential of hydrogen ion beam in tokamaks. In this article, two methods are hired to evaluate the plasma ion fractions: H+, H2+ and H3+ with respect to the ECRIS operating parameters. The methods are matured by utilizing 28 important volume and surface collisions processes. We encrypted a global 0D numerical model (GM) based on solving the nonlinear equations of plasma species as the first method. Next, a 3D plasma simulation (PS) is applied through the finite element method (FEM) by COMSOL Multiphysics. Then, the results are compared to the experimental data.

Development of a 50kV hydrogen-helium mixed ion beam implanter.

Ion implanters have extensively been employed to simulate the irradiation effects of neutrons on relevant nuclear materials. In this study, a 50kV hydrogen-helium mixed ion beam implanter was developed to generate H2+ and He+ ion beams, with a beam current of 20 µA, while keeping the impurity ion content below 2%. The ions are generated by an antenna-type 2.45GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source, and the hydrogen-to-helium ion beam ratio was controlled using two gas mass flow controllers to ensure long time stability of the beam current. As a result, the H2+/He+ ratio, beam size, and homogeneity of the beam spot can be maintained at a stable level. The beam line consisted of four Wien filters, a movable dual-slit plate, and an accelerator tube. The experimental results demonstrated successful transport of more than 20 µA of H2+ and He+ ion beams onto the target, with a beam axis deviation of less than 0.5mm.

Progress in heavy ion cancer therapy at IMP and future development

AbstractBasic research on heavy ion cancer therapy such as radiobiology, medical physics, and therapeutic technique has been conducted at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1995. Based on the achievements acquired in the basic research and the requirements for a heavy ion accelerator for radiotherapy purposes, a dedicated heavy ion therapy facility named Heavy Ion Medical Machine (HIMM) was designed at IMP and constructed in Wuwei, China. The HIMM facility consists of two electron cyclotron resonance ion sources, one cyclotron as the injector and one synchrotron as the main accelerator, and four different treatment rooms equipped with passive or active beam delivery systems, and accelerates carbon ions up to 400 MeV/u. After the performance inspection of HIMM organized by the National Medical Device Inspection Center, preclinical tests like cell and animal radiobiological experiments and dosimetric verification using anthropomorphic phantoms for elucidating the biophysical properties of the carbon ion beams provided by HIMM were carried out. According to the Chinese medical device regulations, a clinical trial in which 46 tumor patients were recruited and two hospitals participated was conducted in the HIMM facility, aiming at evaluating the treatment safety and short‐term efficacy of the medical device. The success of the clinical trial helped the HIMM facility be authorized by the Chinese government as a class III medical device. In this paper, all the aspects mentioned above are introduced and discussed, and implications for future improvements are also given.

Characterization and modeling of plasma sheath in 2.45 GHz hydrogen ECR ion sources

In this article, we present a multi-fluid numerical model developed for application on electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS). The 1D-model is matured to compute the density of the ion species in the plasma sheath in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field of a 2.45 GHz ECRIS. The multi-fluid model in cylindrical coordinates is focused on solving the continuity and momentum equations of hydrogen plasma particles to characterize their sheath properties. In addition, 28 important processes, including volume and surface collisions, have been included in the COMSOL Multiphysics package to simulate the ECR plasma. We study the elementary processes containing electron–atom, electron–molecule, atom–molecule, molecule–molecule, and particle–wall interactions. Then, the results of the model and the simulation of a 2D-hydrogen plasma are reported, and future perspectives are discussed throughout the paper.

Development of a high current electron beam facility for compact accelerator neutron source target thermal tests

Target thermal capabilities are one of the major key points for CANS (Compact Accelerator-based Neutron Source) developments. Indeed, high energy (few MeV) and high average current (few tens of mA) proton or deuteron beams are required to produce high thermal neutron flux of 101³ n.cm⁻2.s⁻1 or greater. The targets must therefore absorb and dissipate a high thermal power. In order to make progress on their designs without deuteron or proton beams, we developed a compact electron beamline based on an Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) source that permits testing of targets under relevant thermal conditions at power densities up 3 kW. cm⁻2.

The research progress of an E//B neutral particle analyzer

An // neutral particle analyzer (NPA) has been designed and is under development at Sichuan University and Southwestern Institute of Physics. The main purpose of the // NPA is to measure the distribution function of fast ions in the HL-2A/3 tokamak. The // NPA contains three main units, i.e. the stripping unit, the analyzing unit and the detection unit. A gas stripping chamber was adopted as the stripping unit. The results of the simulations and beam tests for the stripping chamber are presented. Parallel electric and magnetic fields provided by a NdFeB permanent magnet and two parallel electric plates were designed and constructed for the analyzing unit. The calibration of the magnetic and electric fields was performed using a 50 kV electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) platform. The detection unit consists of 32 lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) detector modules arranged in two rows. The response functions of , hydrogen ions ( , and ) and for a detector module were measured with Am, Cs and Eu sources together with the 50 kV ECRIS platform. The overall results indicate that the designed // NPA device is capable of measuring the intensity of neutral hydrogen and deuteron atoms with energy higher than 20 keV.

Metal evaporation dynamics in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources: plasma role in the atom diffusion, ionisation, and transport

We present a numerical study of metals dynamics evaporated through resistively heated ovens in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma traps, used as metal ion beam injectors for accelerators and multi-disciplinary research in plasma physics. We use complementary numerical methods to perform calculations in the framework of the PANDORA trap. The diffusion and deposition of metal vapours at the plasma chamber’s surface are explored under molecular flow regime, with stationary and time-dependent particle fluid calculations via COMSOL Multiphysics®. The ionisation of vapours is then studied in the strongly energised ECR plasma. We have developed a Monte Carlo (MC) code to simulate the in-plasma metal ions’ dynamics, coupled to particle-in-cell simulations of the plasma physics in the trap. The presence of strongly inhomogeneous plasmas leads to charge-exchange and electron-impact ionisations of metals, in turn affecting the deposition rate/pattern of the metal on the walls of the trap. Results show how vapours dynamics depends both on evaporated metals and the plasma target. The 134Cs, 176Lu, and 48Ca isotopes were investigated, the first two being radioisotopes interesting for the PANDORA project, and the third as one of the most required rare isotope by the nuclear physics community. We present an application of the study: MC computing the γ activity due to the deposited radioactive neutral nuclei during the measurement time, we quantitatively estimated the overall γ-detection system’s efficiency using GEANT4, including the poisoning γ-signal from the walls of the trap, relevant for the γ-tagging of short-lived nuclei’s decay rate in the PANDORA experiment. This work can give valuable support both to the evaporation technique and plasma source optimisation, for improving the metal ion beam production, avoiding huge deposit/waste of metals known to affect the long-term source stability, as well as for radio-safety aspects and reducing material waste in case of rare isotopes.

Development of a gas jet coupled electron cyclotron resonance ion source for radioactive ion beam

A 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source coupled to a gas-jet skimmer system has been developed for the online production of radioactive ion beams (RIBs). Using radial injection of gas jet in the ion source, RIBs of 11C1+, 11CO21+, and 11CO1+ have been produced online with beam intensity up to about 9 × 103 particles per second for a 1 µA primary proton beam bombarding a nitrogen gas target. The details of the gas jet coupled ECR ion source and the results for stable isotope beams and RIBs are reported.

A very low energy ion beam extraction system design of the GTS ECR ion source at GANIL

The GTS ion source, operated at 14.5GHz, provides multiply charged heavy ion beams for the ARIBE facility at GANIL. The facility variety is limited by the efficiency of the extraction especially in the few keV/q domain. In order to improve the ion source, the extraction system was upgraded numerically using IBSimu. The shape of the plasma and the puller electrodes was changed. It causes the increase of the electric field near the plasma meniscus and allows the use of lower extraction voltages at constant total ion beam current. The required beam parameters were taken from the experimental data. The opportunity of effective low energy beam formation (at a few keV/q or several hundreds eV/q beam energy) was studied. The high current and low energy ion beam production will provide new possibilities for ARIBE facility users.