Beam and installation improvements of the NIO1 ion source

Area of Science:

• Plasma physics
• Accelerator technology
• Ion source development

Background:

• Continuous beam operation is crucial for systematic studies of ion sources.
• The Negative Ion Optimization phase 1 (NIO1) source is designed for high-intensity negative ion beams.
• Understanding factors influencing source yield is essential for optimizing performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of magnetic field configuration on NIO1 source performance.
• To assess the effectiveness of conditioning procedures on source yield.
• To report on the status of diagnostics and planned upgrades for the NIO1 source.

Main Methods:

• Systematic variation of magnetic field components, specifically extending the filter field Bx.
• Implementation and testing of conditioning procedures for the pure volume production regime.
• Utilizing camera beam diagnostics to monitor H- beam quality.
• Evaluating the performance and reliability of a cesium oven.

Main Results:

• Source performance improved with increasing magnitude of the Bx filter field component (|Bx|).
• Source yield demonstrated a dependence on conditioning procedures, even in the pure volume production regime.
• Progress was made in camera beam diagnostics, enhancing the quality assessment of the volume-produced H- beam.

Conclusions:

• The NIO1 source's performance is sensitive to magnetic field configuration and conditioning.
• Further improvements in H- beam quality are achievable through optimized magnetic fields and operational procedures.
• Planned upgrades, including a cavity ring down spectrometer and energy recovery system tests, are expected to advance the source's capabilities.