Metallic beam development for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beam.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Accelerator Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU) is a next-generation accelerator facility designed for producing rare isotope beams.
• Achieving high beam intensity from the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source is critical for FRIB's scientific mission.
• An expanded list of primary beams, including mercury, molybdenum, and selenium, has been identified as crucial for producing a wide range of isotope beams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the development of ECR ion source technology for producing high-intensity primary ion beams at FRIB.
• To address the challenge of meeting the required beam intensity (0.4-0.5 emA) for medium to heavy mass elements.
• To demonstrate the capability of producing beams for specific elements of interest, such as mercury, molybdenum, and selenium.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a superconducting Radio Frequency (RF) linac to accelerate primary ion beams to energies exceeding 200 MeV/u.
• Operating the ECR ion source to achieve beam intensities between 0.4 and 0.5 emA.
• Developing and testing ion source performance for natural mercury, molybdenum-98, and selenium-82.

Main Results:

• Successful development of ion source parameters for mercury, molybdenum-98, and selenium-82.
• Demonstrated capability to meet or exceed the target beam intensity requirements for these elements.
• Validation of the ECR ion source performance for FRIB's demanding operational needs.

Conclusions:

• The developed ECR ion source technology is capable of producing the necessary high-intensity beams for FRIB.
• The successful development for mercury, molybdenum, and selenium supports the expanded list of primary beams of interest.
• This advancement is crucial for enabling FRIB's scientific program of rare isotope research.