Characterization of volume type ion source for $p$, $H_2^+$ and $H_3^+$ beams

TL;DR

This paper presents a volume type ion source capable of producing high-current proton, H2+, and H3+ beams, suitable for applications in ion therapy, linacs, and beam injection testing.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, hot filament driven volume ion source that can deliver stable high-current beams of p, H2+, and H3+ with adjustable fractions.

Findings

Delivers up to 3.05 mA at 10 keV in stable operation

Can produce high fractions of p, H2+, or H3+ depending on settings

Suitable for various applications including ion therapy and linac testing

Abstract

Recently, there is an increasing need for $H_{2}^+$ and $H_{3}^+$ ion sources. One example are ion therapy facilities, where $C^{4+}$ and $H_{3}^+$ ion beams along the linac are of great interest. Another example is a $H_{2}^+$ test beam for linacs finally operated with intense deuteron beams. At Frankfurt, a simple proton ion source is needed to test a new kind of beam injection into a magnetic storage ring\cite{EPAC08}\cite{EPAC06}. This article describes a volume type ion source which can deliver upto $3.05~mA$ beam current at $10~keV$ in stable dc operation. It is a hot filament driven ion source which can provide high fractions of $p$, $H_{2}^+$ or $H_{3}^+$, depending on the operation settings.