skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Intense ion beam neutralization using underdense background plasma

Abstract

Producing an overdense background plasma for neutralization purposes with a density that is high compared to the beam density is not always experimentally possible. We show that even an underdense background plasma with a small relative density can achieve high neutralization of intense ion beam pulses. Using particle-in-cell simulations, we show that if the total plasma electron charge is not sufficient to neutralize the beam charge, electron emitters are necessary for effective neutralization but are not needed if the plasma volume is so large that the total available charge in the electrons exceeds that of the ion beam. Several regimes of possible underdense/tenuous neutralization plasma densities are investigated with and without electron emitters or dense plasma at periphery regions, including the case of electron emitters without plasma, which does not effectively neutralize the beam. Over 95% neutralization is achieved for even very underdense background plasma with plasma density 1/15th the beam density. We compare results of particle-in-cell simulations with an analytic model of neutralization and find close agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations. Further, we show experimental data from the National Drift Compression experiment-II group that verifies the result that underdense plasma can neutralize intense heavy ion beams effectively.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
  3. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22408016
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 22; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; ELECTRONS; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; HEAVY IONS; ION BEAMS; PLASMA DENSITY; PULSES

Citation Formats

Berdanier, William, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, Roy, Prabir K., and Kaganovich, Igor. Intense ion beam neutralization using underdense background plasma. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4905631.
Berdanier, William, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, Roy, Prabir K., & Kaganovich, Igor. Intense ion beam neutralization using underdense background plasma. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905631
Berdanier, William, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, Roy, Prabir K., and Kaganovich, Igor. 2015. "Intense ion beam neutralization using underdense background plasma". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905631.
@article{osti_22408016,
title = {Intense ion beam neutralization using underdense background plasma},
author = {Berdanier, William and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 and Roy, Prabir K. and Kaganovich, Igor},
abstractNote = {Producing an overdense background plasma for neutralization purposes with a density that is high compared to the beam density is not always experimentally possible. We show that even an underdense background plasma with a small relative density can achieve high neutralization of intense ion beam pulses. Using particle-in-cell simulations, we show that if the total plasma electron charge is not sufficient to neutralize the beam charge, electron emitters are necessary for effective neutralization but are not needed if the plasma volume is so large that the total available charge in the electrons exceeds that of the ion beam. Several regimes of possible underdense/tenuous neutralization plasma densities are investigated with and without electron emitters or dense plasma at periphery regions, including the case of electron emitters without plasma, which does not effectively neutralize the beam. Over 95% neutralization is achieved for even very underdense background plasma with plasma density 1/15th the beam density. We compare results of particle-in-cell simulations with an analytic model of neutralization and find close agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations. Further, we show experimental data from the National Drift Compression experiment-II group that verifies the result that underdense plasma can neutralize intense heavy ion beams effectively.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4905631},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22408016}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 1,
volume = 22,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}