Wire-guided transport of intense ion beams

Journal Article · Tue Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Applied Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.347344· OSTI ID:6193562

Watrous, J J; Mosher, D; Neri, J M; Ottinger, P F ^[1]; Olson, C L; Crow, J T; Peterson, R R ^[2]

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1. Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5000 (US)
2. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico (US)

Light ion inertial confinement fusion requires beam transport over distances of a few meters for isolation of the diode hardware from the target explosion and for power compression by time-of-flight bunching. This paper evaluates a wire-guided transport system that uses the azimuthal magnetic field, produced by a current driven through a thin wire, to radially confine the ion beam. Ion orbits are studied to determine the injection efficiency (i.e., the fraction of the beam which is transported) under various conditions. Some ions hit the wire because of too small angular momentum at injection; others hit the wire or are lost to large radius during transport because of chaotic orbit behavior induced by a small number of return-current wires close to the beam envelope. For a multimodular scheme (10--30 beams), individual transport system are packed around the target at some standoff distance. The fraction of the beam which is lost in this field-free standoff region is also evaluated under various conditions. The standoff efficiency is then combined with the injection efficiency to give the dependence of the total transport efficiency, {eta}{sub {ital t}}, on diode, focusing, transport, and standoff parameters. It is found that {eta}{sub {ital t}} can be as large as about 60% for parameter values which appear to be achievable.

• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6193562
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 69:2; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640301 -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Beams & their Reactions
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700208* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Inertial Confinement Technology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAM INJECTION
BEAM OPTICS
BEAMS
CONFINEMENT
DIODE TUBES
ELECTRON TUBES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ION BEAMS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
ORBITS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
WIRES