IONEX: a meshfree ion extraction code based on "particle in cloud of points" concept

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Computational Physics
• Engineering Physics

Background:

• Accurate modeling of ion extraction is crucial for various applications, including particle accelerators and ion sources.
• Existing methods may have limitations in handling complex geometries or multiple ion species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the Ion Extraction (IONEX) code, a novel tool for simulating ion extraction processes.
• To present the underlying algorithms and demonstrate the capabilities of the IONEX code.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes the meshless particle-in-cloud-of-points concept for self-consistent simulation.
• Solves ion motion equations and Poisson's equation for the electrostatic field.
• Assumes a Boltzmann distribution for electrons and supports multiple ion species.

Main Results:

• The two-dimensional version of IONEX has been successfully benchmarked against the IGUN code.
• The code provides a graphical user interface for ease of use.
• Sample runs demonstrate the code's ability to handle complex ion extraction scenarios.

Conclusions:

• IONEX is a versatile and effective tool for modeling ion extraction.
• The code's meshless approach and self-consistent calculations offer advantages in accuracy and flexibility.
• IONEX is suitable for a range of applications requiring precise simulation of ion beam dynamics.