Surface Ionization Source Research Articles

Radioactive ion-beam development at SPIRAL1

SPIRAL1 at GANIL is a facility dedicated to the production of radioactive ion beams (RIBs) and their post-acceleration. A major upgrade allowed this facility to produce RIBs of condensable elements. It does so by using both a hot 1+ ion source and an ECR Charge Breeder where the latter is used to increase the ion charge state for post-acceleration. The SPIRAL1 team is pursuing R&D on both fronts in order to expand the offer of RIBs. Several 1+ sources have been or will be tested in 2023: (1) MonoNaKe, a surface ion source, is being modified to ionize short-lived lithium isotopes (2) TULIP, dedicated to ionize short lived fusion-evaporation residues has been tested online for the second time (3) the FEBIAD source has produced radioactive Cr ions for the first time. The SPIRAL1 Charge Breeder (SP1CB) is now fitted with a fixed frequency amplifier (Klystron) and a variable frequency amplifier (travelling wave tube). Using one amplifier, the other, or both, enables several heating modes, giving better control on the charge state distribution at the output of SP1CB.

Design and commissioning of a versatile surface ion source

A compact and versatile ion source was designed and commissioned to be used with the new low energy ion beam facilities at TRIUMF. The ion source is based on the principle of surface ionization, in which ions are generated from a neutral atom by impact with a solid surface. The design of the ion source considered several factors, including the type of ions, intensity, energy and emittance of the extracted beams from the source. Commercially available alkali materials with an ionizer are used in the source; the ionizer is integrated with the in house design of extraction and transport system. The source performance was characterized using diagnostics techniques, and its key parameters, such as beam current, emittance, and beam species, were measured. The results showed that the compact surface ion source is able to achieve high ionization efficiency and stable operation, and is suitable for use in commissioning and operation of various ion beam facilities in particle accelerator laboratories.

First ion source at ISOL@MYRRHA with an improved thermal profile - Theoretical considerations

ISOL@MYRRHA will be a new Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) facility in Belgium based on the Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) technique, and established within the framework of MYRRHA, the world’s first large-scale accelerator driven system project at power levels scalable to industrial systems. The surface ion source, or hot cavity, is chosen as initial source for its reliability and simple design. To account for the higher flux of atoms through this cavity, a theoretical study of the processes within the ion source is discussed here, based on theoretical equations and thermal-electric simulations. In the past, the temperature was clearly identified as a key element to this source, but with the assumption that it remains constant throughout the cavity. Nonetheless, more recent thermal-electric simulations have revealed that the source Ohmic heating leads to temperature gradients along the cavity tube. The temperature profile impact on ionisation in the hot cavity will be reviewed here.

FEBIAD ionization development via a web-app for multidimensional characterization

The ISAC-FEBIAD is an electron impact ion source typically used to ionize radioactive molecules or isotopes of elements beyond the reach of either surface or laser ion sources. The FEBIAD’s key tuning parameters are the cathode temperature defining the number of electrons created; the anode voltage establishing the electron energy; and the magnetic field controlling the electron density inside the anode volume. However, these parameters are typically scanned in a small and limited range when optimizing the source. Recent investigations have shown the need to explore the entire range of operational values accessible by the power supplies, not only due to the intrinsic variations from source to source but also to operate the source at optimal settings. To address this, a scanning algorithm has been implemented as a web interface thanks to the High-Level-Application (HLA) infrastructure available at TRIUMF. The ion beam intensity during both offline and online commissioning of the web app are presented here as contour plots. The optimal settings found for stable 20Ne are confirmed as the optimal settings for radioactive 18Ne. The main takeaway, however, is that the optimal ion source parameters differ between singly-charged, doubly-charged, and molecular species. This development demonstrate and facilitate the need for element and charge state-specific parameter optimization. Additionally, the results highlight the possibility of parameter optimization to enhance the ratio of the species of interest to co-ionized contamination.

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.

Ion-source development at the off-line LERIB test-facility at iThemba LABS

The Low Energy Radioactive Ion Beam (LERIB) facility [1] will be used to produce low-energy radioactive-ion beams (RIBs) with energies up to 60 keV. Radioactive reaction products will be created by a 66 MeV proton-beam impinging on a target made of carbide disks, such as SiC [2]. These reaction products will then be ionized in a target-ion-source (TIS) and extracted as beam. The TIS design allows three ion-sources: a surface ion-source [3], a forced electron-beam induced arc-discharge (FEBIAD) ion-source [4], and a resonance-ionization laser ion-source, or RILIS. The surface-ionization source was commissioned with stable beams in October 2021. The production of ions from Group-1 elements was accomplished with beams of 39K+, 41K+ and 23Na+ where currents were measured in the μA range. This source may be advantageous for producing stable pilot-beams for future radioactive-beam experiments. The FEBIAD is still in development at present.

Recent progress of ISOL facility at RAON

The RAON (Rare Isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiments) is currently in the stage of commissioning under the Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) launched in 2011. RAON will utilize an advanced rare isotope beams produced with a high power target by the Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facility, aiming to deliver high purity and intense, neutron-rich rare isotope beams to the post-accelerator and experimental facilities. The RAON ISOL facility consists of a target/ion source module surrounded by movable shielding blocks in a bunker, remote handling facilities for the target operation, a pre-mass separator, a RFQ cooler buncher, an EBIS charge breeder, and an A/q separator. The installation and alignment of the ISOL facility were completed in June 2021. The target/ion source module allows us to bombard a thick target with a 70 MeV proton beam of RAON, producing a variety of rare isotope beams. Rare isotope beams extracted from the target/ion source can be transported to a pre-mass separator at energies of up to 60 keV, and will be cooled in a RFQ-CB. Cooled ion beams can be sent to two different experimental facilities, such as a Mass Measurement System and a Collinear Laser Spectroscopy in ISOL experimental hall. Alternatively, for post-acceleration of ion beams, the singly charged ion beam of interest can be bunched to 108 ions in RFQ-CB and then delivered to the EBIS charge breeder through the EBIS branch system. The preparation of multi charged ion beams for the post-acceleration using the superconducting LINAC of SCL3 will be carried out through the EBIS charge breeder and A/q separator to match the energy of 10 keV/u with A/q < 6 with the requirement of RAON Injector.The first commissioning experiment of the ISOL system started in March 2021 using the 133Cs and 120Sn stable beams produced from the target container combined with the surface ion source and laser Ion source. The stable beam experiments have demonstrated the overall functioning of the RAON ISOL system, and we are planning to carry out the first RI beam test using the SiC target with 70 MeV proton of cyclotron in the coming months.

A High-Throughput Hot Surface Ion Source for Electromagnetic Radioisotope Separation

An available supply of high-specific-activity radioisotopes was identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as a critical priority to the development and eventual deployment of next-generation medical diagnostic and cancer therapy tools. Work at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center has been undertaken to develop an electromagnetic isotope separation technique that will leverage the production capabilities of the 10-MW reactor to provide radiolanthanides in quantities suitable for use in preclinical trials. A high-throughput concept design based on a solid tantalum hot surface ion source and an insertable titanium crucible will be described. Significant aspects of the electrical and thermal design of the ion source will be presented. Novel heating and cooling strategies were employed to concentrate heating where it is most needed while attempting to reduce thermal stress where heating is not required. Thermal testing from the commissioning process will be presented to demonstrate the temperature at several key locations in and around the ion source.

Design and thermal simulations towards a high intensity radioactive ion source for ISOL@MYRRHA

MYRRHA will be the world’s first large-scale Accelerator Driven System project at power levels scalable to industrial systems. ISOL@MYRRHA will produce Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) using the Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) technique, with increased isotope production by high intensity primary beams over a long period while maintaining a high-quality RIB. Higher atom flux produced prevalently affects the ISOL ion source. A surface ion source is chosen as a first source because of its reliability and simple design. To understand the hot cavity’s behaviour, finite element thermal-electric simulations were performed. To start, a heating system study with experimental results from the SPES project was reproduced. This concept was then modified by: electrically insulating the source from its support, adding a feedthrough, transforming a passive thermal screen into an active part. With this heating system upgrade, the ion source temperature profile can be adjusted, especially at its exit part where high temperature is expected to play a crucial role in ion production and extraction.

Negative ion sources

In this Tutorial, surface and double charge exchange negative ion sources for producing negative ion beams of different ion species will be described. The need for negative ions as the beam particles of tandem Van de Graaf accelerators and that for charge exchange injection of hydrogen negative ions into high-energy proton accelerators requires the development of these ion sources, which are then enlarged to generate ampere level broad beams to heat up, after neutralization, the fusion experiment plasmas confined in magnetic field. The physical mechanisms leading to the formation of various negative ion species, such as hydrogen, helium, alkali metals, and halogens will be presented, and the ion source designs are analyzed based on the knowledge of fundamental processes related to negative ion formation and destruction. The use of negative ion sources in accelerators, nuclear fusion research, technology, and medicine will also be presented.

Experiments with a prototype titanium hot cavity surface ionization source intended for electromagnetic separation of radioactive samarium and other lanthanide elements

This paper reports experimental results of a prototype titanium surface ionization source. For the first time, a lanthanide ion beam has been produced with a surface ionizer composed completely of titanium metal. Titanium does not readily activate with neutron irradiation. This offers the potential for inserting an ion source made of titanium directly into a reactor with a pre-loaded non-radioactive lanthanide target. This seamlessly integrates target irradiation with isotope separation, eliminating post irradiation sample manipulation. Samarium ion beam currents up to 960 nA have been produced in an off-line test bench equipped with rudimentary beam optics. This is a crucial step toward the development of an ionization source adopted for the electromagnetic isotope separator (EMIS) facility, which has been designed for high throughput separations of radioactive 153Sm and other lanthanides of interest in the field of nuclear medicine. The ion current and important factors affecting the performance of the ion source, such as the ionizer temperature and thermal gradient, are discussed. The experimental results are presented together with a discussion of future modifications to optimize the overall surface ionization source performance.

What is the Bond Dissociation Energy of the Vanadium Hydride Cation?

Recent electronic state-selected measurements of the reactions of atomic vanadium cations with D2 and CO2 are reanalyzed to properly account for the kinetic energy distribution of the reactant neutrals. The need for this is demonstrated in the present work by comparing the D2 data to that obtained previously in earlier experiments but unpublished. It is shown that the earlier data, which utilized a surface ionization source of V+, and the state-selected data for V+(a5D2) are essentially identical in the threshold regions where they overlap. Differences in the electronic state energies and kinetic energy distributions of V+ in the two experiments are very small and much smaller than the kinetic energy distribution of the neutral reactant, which is identical in both experiments. It is shown that properly accounting for the latter distribution alters the conclusions regarding the threshold energy for the endothermic formation of VD+ such that recent conclusions regarding the bond energy of VD+ are substantially altered and found to reproduce the original bond energy determination. Accounting for all experiments, a revised best value for D0(VH+) is 2.07 ± 0.09 eV [or D0(VD+) = 2.10 ± 0.09 eV]. This conclusion is validated by high-level ab initio calculations. Differences in the new and older data sets for the V+ + D2 reaction at higher energies (above the onset for dissociation of the product ion) are also discussed. The same methodology is then applied to recent studies on the state-selected V+ + CO2 reaction.

First online operation of TRIGA-TRAP

We report on the successful coupling of the Penning-trap mass spectrometry setup TRIGA-TRAP to the research reactor TRIGA Mainz. This offers the possibility to perform direct high-precision mass measurements of short-lived nuclei produced in neutron-induced fission of a 235U target located near the reactor core. An aerosol-based gas-jet system is used for efficient transport of short-lived neutron-rich nuclei from the target chamber to a surface ion source. In conjunction with new ion optics and extended beam monitoring capabilities, the experimental setup has been fully commissioned. The design of the surface ion source, efficiency studies and first results are presented.

Design of a compact magnets system for a hybrid 2.45 GHz microwave 7Li[formula omitted] ion source

A hybrid ion source with a combination of a 2.45 GHz microwave source and a thermal surface ionization source was designed to generate 7Li3+ ion beam. A minimum-B type magnetic field configuration that consists of axial mirror field and hexapole field was designed. During the design process of the magnets system, the magnetic field configuration, the mechanical structure of the source body and the water cooling system have been carefully calculated and verified. An electrostatic Particle in Cell (PIC) code was developed to simulate the motion of electrons in the designed magnetic field to verify the reasonability of the design.

Charge breeding at GANIL: Improvements, results, and comparison with the other facilities

The 1+/n+ method, based on an ECRIS charge breeder (CB) originally developed at the LPSC laboratory, is now implemented at GANIL for the production of Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs). Prior to its installation in the middle of the low energy beam line of the SPIRAL1 facility, the 1+/n+ system CB has been modified based on the experiments performed on the CARIBU Facility at Argone National Laboratory. Later, it has been tested at the 1+/n+ LPSC test bench to validate its operation performances. Charge breeding efficiencies as well as charge breeding times have been measured for noble gases and alkali elements. The commissioning phase started at GANIL in the second half-year of 2017. It consisted of a stepwise process to test the upgrade of the SPIRAL1 facility from simple validation [operation of Charge Breeder (CB) as a stand-alone source] up to the production of the first 1+/n+ RIB. Thus, this year, a 38mK/38K RIB has been successfully delivered to a physics experiment over a period of 1 week. The yields on the physics target were in the range of ∼2-4 × 106 pps at 9 MeV/u. The target ion source system (TISS) was made of a FEBIAD ion source connected to a hot graphite target. This is the first time a RIB is accelerated with a cyclotron with the 1+/n+ method. Moreover, a production test with the FEBIAD TISS has confirmed the yields measured previously, which validates the extension of the GANIL/SPIRAL1 catalog for a number of isotopes. In parallel, R&D is being performed on new TISSs (e.g., a fast release one, using surface ionization source). Targets are also a subject of ongoing R&D for yield and release time optimization. This contribution will present the new acceleration scheme of the SPIRAL1 facility, which largely extends the palette of RIBs available for nuclear physicists. It will be compared to the ones used at similar ISOL facilities. This facility is more than a simple ISOL facility, and an overview of the new opportunities offered by the upgraded installation will be also discussed.

Field-Map And Beam Transport Calculations of The Magnetic Separator At Alto Facility At Orsay

The Institute of Nuclear Physics at Orsay (IPNO) has always been a major player in building accelerators for nuclear physics. The Accelerator Linear Tandem Orsay (ALTO) facility is powered by a 50 MeV/10uA linear electron accelerator dedicated to the production of radioactive beams [1]. The production mode is based on the photo-fission process of a thick UCx target heated up to 2000°C and using the Isotopes Separation On-Line (ISOL) technique [2]. For the ionization of the released fission fragments, three ion source types can be coupled to the target: a Febiad ion source, surface ion source, and laser ion source. The facility can deliver the radioactive ions beams (RIB) to six different experimental setups. The mass of the produced mono-charged Radioactive Ions Beam is selected using a magnetic dipole in order to select a nucleus before its transmission through electrostatic devices up to the experimental setups [3]. This paper is focused on the separator that was built and exploited with success since 43 years. The separator is located closely to the exit of the source of RIB production. We propose to revisit this dipole with a precise field-map calculation and particles transport simulations. These results will be used as a first brick for the understanding and reliability of the transmission along the RIB lines at the ALTO facility.

Highly efficient ion source for surface and laser ionization

Among the most widely used medical radionuclides there are isotopes of elements with relatively low ionization potential. The simplest type of a mass-separator ion-source in this case is a hot cavity surface ionizer. However, the ionization efficiency of such a type of ionizer for non-alkalis is low (for example, of about 1% for Tl). To increase the surface ionization efficiency, a new material for the surface ion source (monocrystalline tungsten) was used at the mass separator working on-line with the 1-GeV proton synchrocyclotron of Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. The ionization efficiency for certain elements with medium ionization potential (Sr, In, Tl) was measured: 45(5)%, 33(8)%, and 21(8)% respectively.

Target and Ion Source Development for Better Beams in the ARIEL Era

Any ISOL facility pushing the boundaries of nuclear physics must be able to provide cutting-edge ion beams to its users - beams of isotopes far from stability, with few contaminants, that may be difficult to extract from an ISOL target. The development of these pure, exotic beams must be supported by continuing research and development on targets and ion sources. In the ARIEL era, new target/ion source geometries and operational modes will provide new opportunities which can only be exploited with time for development. To prioritize this, TRIUMF proposes to build a dedicated test stand for target and ion source research which will model the critical features of the new ARIEL target stations. This stand will provide a testing ground for methods of increasing efficiency and selectivity, such as investigations of new surface ion source [1, 2] and Forced Electron Beam Induced Arc Discharge (FEBIAD) ion source [3, 2] designs. In addition, this will provide a development environment for new beams, either from new target materials, or through techniques such as extracting molecular beams. In order to maximize the gain from these investigations in on-line operation, the ion optical properties of the final beam will be investigated concurrently.

The SPES surface ionization source.

Ion sources and target systems play a crucial role in isotope separation on line facilities, determining the main characteristics of the radioactive ion beams available for experiments. In the context of the selective production of exotic species (SPES) facility, a 40 MeV, 200 μA proton beam directly impinges a uranium carbide target, generating approximately 1013 fissions per second. The radioactive isotopes produced by the 238U fissions are delivered to the 1+ ion source by means of a tubular transfer line. Here they can be ionized and subsequently accelerated toward the experimental areas. In this work, the characterization of the surface ionization source currently adopted for the SPES facility is presented, taking as a reference ionization efficiency and transversal emittance measurements. The effects of long term operation at high temperature are also illustrated and discussed.

Rb and Cs ionization efficiency measurements for the RISP surface ionization source

Abstract We report on the experimental results of the ionization efficiency of Rb and Cs using a surface ionization source prototype at Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) of Institute for Basic Science (IBS). A hot-cavity surface ionization source has been studied in an off-line test bench equipped with a mass separator and a beam diagnostic system which allow accurate ionization efficiency measurements. Ionization efficiencies of 76% and 77% have been measured for Rb and Cs, respectively, from the Ta prototype of the RISP surface ionization source.