Development of a high efficiency proton source for the Frankfurter-Neutronen-Quelle am Stern-Gerlach-Zentrum

Rev Sci Instrum. 2008 Feb;79(2 Pt 2):02B316. doi: 10.1063/1.2838245.

Abstract

A new version of high efficiency proton source is being developed for Frankfurter-Neutronen-Quelle am Stern-Gerlach-Zentrum, a worldwide unique pulsed neutron source. The injector will provide dc proton beam currents of 200 mA at 120 keV with a beam divergence angle of less than 50 mrad. The new design consists of a plasma generator with a multiple filament arrangement and a compact pentode extraction system. The beam will be extracted from a seven hole outlet electrode. Great efforts are made to achieve an adequate operation time (~3 days) of the source as well as to obtain high reliability during that operation period with less than 1 V breakdowns per hour. The following article will present the current status of the proton source development including beam formation simulations with IGUN.