Quasi-3D Model of an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

The production of high-quality, high-charge-state ion beams is an area of intensive research and development worldwide for particle accelerators, atomic physics experiments, and industrial applications. Electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) generate multiply charged ions through electron impact ionization in a confined plasma. These sources reduce the cost to produce ion beams by reducing the accelerating voltage needed to achieve the desired beam energy. However, the three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the ECRIS magnetic field generates 3D structures in the extracted beam, which increases their emittance and reduces the efficiency with which they can be delivered to an accelerator. The complicated 3D geometry also makes numerical modeling a difficult task. FAR-TECH, Inc. proposes to use a mapping technique to develop a sophisticated modeling tool that can simulate the 3D ECRIS plasma in a reasonable amount of computation time. The tool will aid ECRIS users in operating existing ion sources and designing and building new ones. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Numerical modeling of ECRISs will improve the efficiency of rare isotope ion beam facilities as well as industrial applications using highly charged ions, such a materials processing and hadron therapy