Low Energy Beam Transport System Research Articles

Beam dynamics at the main LEBT of RAON accelerator

The high-intensity rare isotope accelerator (RAON) of the Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) in Daejeon, Korea, has been designed to accelerate multiple-charge-state beams. The ion beams, which are generated by using an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECR-IS), will be transported through the main low energy beam transport (LEBT) system to the radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ). While passing the beams through the LEBT, we should keep the transverse beam size and longitudinal emittance small. Furthermore, the matching of required twiss parameter at the RFQ entrance will be performed by using electro-static quadrupoles at the main LEBT matching section which is from the multi-harmonic buncher (MHB) to the entrance of the RFQ. We will briefly review the new aspects of the main LEBT lattice, and the beam matching at the main LEBT matching section will be presented. In addition, the effects of various errors on the beam orbit and the correction of a distorted orbit will be discussed.

Design study of low-energy beam transport for multi-charge beams at RAON

The Rare isotope Accelerator Of Newness (RAON) at the Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) is being designed to simultaneously accelerate beams with multiple charge states. It includes a driver superconducting (SC) linac for producing 200MeV/u and 400kW continuous wave (CW) heavy ion beams from protons to uranium. The RAON consists of a few electron cyclotron resonance ion sources, a low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system, a CW 81.25MHz, 500keV/u radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, a medium-energy beam transport system, the SC linac, and a charge-stripper system. The LEBT system for the RISP accelerator facility consists of a high-voltage platform, two 90° dipoles, a multi-harmonic buncher (MHB), solenoids, electrostatic quadrupoles, a velocity equalizer, and a diagnostic system. The ECR ion sources are located on a high-voltage platform to reach an initial beam energy of 10keV/u. After extraction, the ion beam is transported through the LEBT system to the RFQ accelerator. The generated charge states are selected by an achromatic bending system and then bunched by the MHB in the LEBT system. The MHB is used to achieve a small longitudinal emittance in the RFQ by generating a sawtooth wave with three harmonics. In this paper, we present the results and issues of the beam dynamics of the LEBT system.

Beam emittance measurements and simulations of injector line for radio frequency quadrupole.

A 400 keV deuteron (D(+)) radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator has been designed, built, and commissioned at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India. A beam line has been developed for injecting deuterons into the 400 keV RFQ. This comprises of a RF plasma ion source and a low energy beam transport (LEBT) system, consisting of two solenoid magnets and two steerer magnets. The ion source is characterized in terms of transverse beam emittance. A slit-wire scanner based emittance measurement setup has been developed for the transverse emittance measurements of H(+) and D(+) beams. The measured emittance values are found to be well within the acceptance value for the RFQ. These measured emittance parameters are used to optimize the solenoid fields in LEBT to match the beam from the ion source to RFQ. TRACEWIN simulation code is used for the beam transport simulations. The simulations show 99% transmission of D(+) beam through the RFQ, while 95% transmission has been measured experimentally.

The development of a room temperature electron cyclotron resonance ion source (Lanzhou electron cyclotron resonance ion source No. 4) with evaporative cooling technology at Institute of Modern Physics.

LECR4 (Lanzhou electron cyclotron resonance ion source No. 4) has been successfully constructed at IMP and has also been connected with the Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) and Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) systems. These source magnet coils are cooled through evaporative cooling technology, which is the first attempt with an ECR ion source in the world. The maximum mirror field is 2.5 T (with iron plug) and the effective plasma chamber volume is 1.2 l. It was designed to be operated at 18 GHz and aimed to produce intense multiple charge state heavy ion beams for the linear injector project SSC-Linac at IMP. In February 2014, the first analyzed beam at 18 GHz was extracted. During about three months' commissioning, some outstanding results have been achieved, such as 1.97 emA of O(6+), 1.7 emA of Ar(8+), 1.07 emA of Ar(9+), and 118 euA of Bi(28+). The source has also successfully delivered O(5+) and Ar(8+) ion beams for RFQ commissioning in April 2014. This paper will give a brief overview of the design of LECR4. Then, the latest results of this source at 18 GHz will be presented.

Design study of low energy beam transport line for ion beams of the post-accelerator at RAON

Low-energy ions produced by the ion source pass through the focusing and acceleration sections. During this process, the ions accumulate energy and are finally transported to the apparatus that utilizes them for a specific purpose. Thus, in order to increase the transmission efficiency of the ion beams, the low energy beam transport (LEBT) system must minimize the beam loss and the emittance growth. The LEBT system is designed and optimized to transmit 132Sn16+ and 58Ni8+ beams of the post-accelerator at RAON that is the accelerator complex for the rare isotope science. The post-accelerator LEBT line comprises solenoids and electrostatic quadrupoles for transverse focusing and a multi-harmonic buncher for longitudinal focusing. This paper presents the results of the optical design and beam tracking for the post-accelerator LEBT obtained by using TraceWIN and TRACK codes.

Development of a low-energy beam transport system at KBSI heavy-ion accelerator

The Korea Basic Science Institute has developed a heavy ion accelerator for fast neutron radiography [1]. To meet the requirements for fast neutron generation, we have developed an accelerator system that consists of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECR-IS), low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system, radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ), medium-energy beam transport system, and drift tube linac. In this paper, we present the development of the LEBT system as a part of the heavy ion accelerator system, which operates from the ECR-IS to the RFQ entrance.

Recent performance of the SNS H− ion source and low-energy beam transport system

Recent measurements of the H(-) beam current show that SNS is injecting about 55 mA into the RFQ compared to ∼45 mA in 2010. Since 2010, the H(-) beam exiting the RFQ dropped from ∼40 mA to ∼34 mA, which is sufficient for 1 MW of beam power. To minimize the impact of the RFQ degradation, the service cycle of the best performing source was extended to 6 weeks. The only degradation is fluctuations in the electron dump voltage towards the end of some service cycles, a problem that is being investigated. Very recently, the RFQ was retuned, which partly restored its transmission. In addition, the electrostatic low-energy beam transport system was reengineered to double its heat sinking and equipped with a thermocouple that monitors the temperature of the ground electrode between the two Einzel lenses. The recorded data show that emissions from the source at high voltage dominate the heat load. Emissions from the partly Cs-covered first lens cause the temperature to peak several hours after starting up. On rare occasions, the temperature can also peak due to corona discharges between the center ground electrode and one of the lenses.

Improvements to the internal and external antenna H− ion sources at the Spallation Neutron Source

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), a large scale neutron production facility, routinely operates with 30-40 mA peak current in the linac. Recent measurements have shown that our RF-driven internal antenna, Cs-enhanced, multi-cusp ion sources injects ∼55 mA of H(-) beam current (∼1 ms, 60 Hz) at 65-kV into a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator through a closely coupled electrostatic Low-Energy Beam Transport system. Over the last several years a decrease in RFQ transmission and issues with internal antennas has stimulated source development at the SNS both for the internal and external antenna ion sources. This report discusses progress in improving internal antenna reliability, H(-) yield improvements which resulted from modifications to the outlet aperture assembly (applicable to both internal and external antenna sources) and studies made of the long standing problem of beam persistence with the external antenna source. The current status of the external antenna ion source will also be presented.

Development status of the 18 GHz superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source at National Fusion Research Institute

A new superconducting 18 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source is being developed at the National Fusion Research Institute in South Korea. This source will be dedicated for future application of highly charged ions in the area of matter interaction, diagnostic imaging, and probing. In this paper, we describe the status of the source development consisting of a double electrode biased disk, sputtering systems for metal ion production, diagnostic ports for the extraction region, a variable gap extraction-Einzel lens system, and a low energy beam transport system.

A 2.45 GHz intense proton source and low energy beam transport system for China Initiative Accelerator Driven Sub-Critical reactor system

At Institute of Modern Physics, a cw 35 keV, 20 mA intense proton source and the low energy beam transport system (LEBT) have been developed for China Initiative Accelerator Driven Sub-Critical reactor system. In order to ensure high quality transmission of the intense ion beam from the exit of ion source to Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ), a low energy beam transport line is used to focus beam to the RFQ entrance and match the Twiss parameters to the RFQ requirements. The 35 keV, 20 mA ion beam extracted by a three-electrode extraction system from the ion source passes through the LEBT to the RFQ entrance and the root-mean-square emittance is measured to be less than 0.2 π mm mrad. The commissioning results of the ion source and low energy beam transport system are described in this paper. The beam quality and transmission efficiency are also studied.

ISAC LEBT

The ISAC electrostatic Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) system is described.

Transport of 3D space charge dominated beams

In this paper we present the theoretical analysis and the computer code design for the intense pulsed beam transport. Intense beam dynamics is a very important issue in low-energy high-current accelerators and beam transport systems. This problem affects beam transmission and beam qualities. Therefore, it attracts the attention of the accelerator physicists worldwide. The analysis and calculation for the intense beam dynamics are very complicated, because the state of particle motion is dominated not only by the applied electromagnetic fields, but also by the beam-induced electromagnetic fields (self-fields). Moreover, the self fields are related to the beam dimensions and particle distributions. So, it is very difficult to get the self-consistent solutions of particle motion analytically. For this reason, we combine the Lie algebraic method and the particle in cell (PIC) scheme together to simulate intense 3D beam transport. With the Lie algebraic method we analyze the particle nonlinear trajectories in the applied electromagnetic fields up to third order approximation, and with the PIC algorithm we calculate the space charge effects to the particle motion. Based on the theoretical analysis, we have developed a computer code, which calculates beam transport systems consisting of electrostatic lenses, electrostatic accelerating columns, solenoid lenses, magnetic and electric quadruples, magnetic sextupoles, octopuses and different kinds of electromagnetic analyzers. The optimization calculations and the graphic display for the calculated results are provided by the code.

Development of microwave ion source and low energy beam transport system for high current cyclotron

A 2.45GHz microwave ion source and a low energy beam transport system have been developed to study the high intensity proton beam injection into a 10MeV, 5mA compact cyclotron. We have extracted proton beam more than 10mA at 80kV as measured by the DCCT after the extraction and a well collimated beam of 7mA (through 1cm×1cm slit) at the faraday cup 1.5m away from the source. The transport of protons from the ion source in the presence of H2+, H3+ species has been studied using PIC simulations through our transport line which consists of two solenoids. We have also installed a small dipole magnet with similar field as that of the cyclotron along with vacuum chamber, spiral inflector and few diagnostic elements at the end of the beam line. In the preliminary testing of inflection, we achieved 1mA beam on the faraday cup at the exit of inflector with ∼60% transmission efficiency.

A low energy beam transport system for proton beam

A low energy beam transport (LEBT) system has been built for a compact pulsed hadron source (CPHS) at Tsinghua University in China. The LEBT, consisting of two solenoids and three short-drift sections, transports a pulsed proton beam of 60 mA of energy of 50 keV to the entrance of a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ). Measurement has shown a normalized RMS beam emittance less than 0.2 π mm mrad at the end of the LEBT. Beam simulations were carried out to compare with the measurement and are in good agreement. Based on the successful CPHS LEBT development, a new LEBT for a China ADS projector has been designed. The features of the new design, including a beam chopper and beam simulations of the LEBT are presented and discussed along with CPHS LEBT development in this article.

Research and development of H− ion source and low energy beam transport for a kaon-neutrino factory

A baseline H(-) ion source and low energy beam transport (LEBT) system have been identified for Project X. The filament-discharge H(-) ion source has been fabricated by D-Pace, Inc. and is now in operation at LBNL. The source is capable of delivering over 10 mA of H(-) beam in cw operation with normalized 4 rms emittances less than 0.7 π mm mrad. A two-solenoid magnetic lens LEBT system has been design. The design has been validated with simulations of beam transport for 5 mA 30 keV H(-) beams using various simulation codes.

A 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance proton ion source and a dual-lens low energy beam transport

The structure and preliminary commissioning results of a new 2.45 GHz ECR proton ion source and a dual-lens low energy beam transport (LEBT) system are presented in this paper. The main magnetic field of the ion source is provided by a set of permanent magnets with two small electro-solenoid magnets at the injection and the extraction to fine tune the magnetic field for better microwave coupling. A 50 keV pulsed proton beam extracted by a three-electrode mechanism passes through the LEBT system of length of 1183 mm. This LEBT consists of a diagnosis chamber, two Glaser lenses, two steering magnets, and a final beam defining cone. A set of inner permanent magnetic rings is embedded in each of the two Glaser lenses to produce a flatter axial-field to reduce the lens aberrations.

Low energy beam transport for facility for rare isotope beams driver linear particle accelerator

The driver linac for the facility for rare isotope beams (FRIB) will provide a wide range of primary ion beams for nuclear physics research. The linac will be capable of accelerating a uranium beam to an energy of up to 200 Mev∕u and delivering it to a fragmentation target with a maximum power of 400 kW. Stable ion beams will be produced by a high performance electron cyclotron resonance ion source operating at 28 GHz. The ion source will be located on a high voltage platform to reach an initial beam energy of 12 keV∕u. After extraction, the ion beam will be transported vertically down to the linac tunnel in a low energy beam transport (LEBT) system and injected into a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) operating at a frequency of 80.5 MHz. To meet the beam power requirements, simultaneous acceleration of two-charge states will be used for heavier ions (≥Xe). This paper presents the layout of the FRIB LEBT and the beam dynamics in the LEBT. In particular, simulation and design of the beam line section before charge state selection will be detailed. The need to use an achromatic design for the charge state selection system and the advantage of an ion beam collimation system to limit the emittance of the beam injected into the RFQ will be discussed in this paper.

Low-energy beam transport studies supporting the spallation neutron source 1-MW beam operation

The H(-) injector consisting of a cesium enhanced RF-driven ion source and a 2-lens electrostatic low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system supports the spallation neutron source 1 MW beam operation with ∼38 mA beam current in the linac at 60 Hz with a pulse length of up to ∼1.0 ms. In this work, two important issues associated with the low-energy beam transport are discussed: (1) inconsistent dependence of the post-radio frequency quadrupole accelerator beam current on the ion source tilt angle and (2) high power beam losses on the LEBT electrodes under some off-nominal conditions compromising their reliability.

Design and fabrication status of proton source and LEBT for CPHS

The design and fabrication status of the ECR proton source and a low-energy-beam-transport (LEBT) system for the Compact Pulsed Hadron Source (CPHS) at Tsinghua University are presented. In the case of this source, the H 2 plasma is restricted in the source body by an axial magnetic field produced by an all-permanent-magnet design. The 50 keV, 60 mA pulsed proton beam (50 Hz/0.5 ms) extracted by a four-electrode extraction system from the proton source passes through the LEBT system, which consists of two solenoid lenses, two steering magnets and a cone configuration optically that matches the RFQ.

Comparison of extraction and beam transport simulations with emittance measurements from the ECR ion source venus**This Research was conducted at LBNL and was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under ContractDE-AC02-05CH11231.

The versatility of ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) ion sources makes them the injector of choice for many heavy ion accelerators. However, the design of the LEBT (Low Energy Beam Transport) systems for these devices is challenging, because it has to be matched for a wide variety of ions. In addition, due to the magnetic confinement fields, the ion density distribution across the extraction aperture is inhomogeneous and charge state dependent. In addition, the ion beam is extracted from a region of high axial magnetic field, which adds a rotational component to the beam. In this paper the development of a simulation model (in particular the initial conditions at the extraction aperture) for ECR ion source beams is described. Extraction from the plasma and transport through the beam line are then simulated with the particle-in-cell code WARP. Simulations of the multispecies beam containing Uranium ions of charge state 18+ to 42+ and oxygen ions extracted from the VENUS ECR ion source are presented and compared to experimentally obtained emittance values.