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The ISIS spallation neutron and muon facility is undergoing an upgrade to the negative hydrogen (H−) linac preinjector with the addition of a medium-energy beam transport (MEBT) line. A fast electrostatic sweep chopper is included in the MEBT and will notch the linac bunch train at the synchrotron frequency. The MEBT and chopper will increase the beam transport efficiency significantly, reducing the output H− current requirements from the ion source. As such, a long-lifetime, noncesiated, RF-driven, external-antenna H− ion source based on the successful CERN Linac4 and SNS designs is constructed, which will improve facility uptime and reliability. This paper will highlight the latest developments on the MEBT before focusing on the RF ion source. The RF ion source must deliver 35 mA of H− beam current in pulses 400 μs long at a 50 Hz repetition rate, with transverse normalized 4 rms emittances less than 1.2 π mm mrad. The beam current and emittance are within the reach of a noncesiated H− source, whereas operating at relatively high duty cycles presents challenges in terms of thermal management, which this paper will address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vessel for extraction and source plasma analyses is being used for Penning H− ion source development at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. A new set of optical elements including an einzel lens has been installed, which transports over 80 mA of H− beam successfully. Simultaneously, a 2X scaled Penning source has been developed to reduce cathode power density. The 2X source is now delivering a 65 mA H− ion beam at 10% duty factor, meeting its design criteria. The long-term viability of the einzel lens and 2X source is now being evaluated, so new diagnostic devices have been installed. A pair of electrostatic deflector plates is used to correct beam misalignment and perform fast chopping, with a voltage rise time of 24 ns. A suite of four quartz crystal microbalances has shown that the cesium flux in the vacuum vessel is only increased by a factor of two, despite the absence of a dedicated cold trap. Finally, an infrared camera has demonstrated good agreement with thermal simulations but has indicated unexpected heating due to beam loss on the downstream electrode. These types of diagnostics are suitable for monitoring all operational ion sources. In addition to experimental campaigns and new diagnostic tools, the high-performance VSim and COMSOL software packages are being used for plasma simulations of two novel ion thrusters for space propulsion applications. In parallel, a VSim framework has been established to include arbitrary temperature and cesium fields to allow the modeling of surface physics in H− ion sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vessel for extraction and source plasma analyses (VESPA) is operational at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). This project supports and guides the overall ion source R&D effort for the ISIS spallation neutron and muon facility at RAL. The VESPA produces 100 mA of pulsed H- beam, but perveance scans indicate that the source is production-limited at extraction voltages above 12 kV unless the arc current is increased. A high resolution optical monochromator is used to measure plasma properties using argon as a diagnostic gas. The atomic hydrogen temperature increases linearly with arc current, up to 2.8 eV for 50 A; whereas the electron temperature has a slight linear decrease toward 2.2 eV. The gas density is 1021 m-3, whilst the electron density is two orders of magnitude lower. Densities follow square root relationships with arc current, with gas density decreasing whilst electron (and hence ion) density increases. Stopping and range of ions in matter calculations prove that operating a high current arc with an argon admixture is extremely difficult because cathode-coated cesium is heavily sputtered by argon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major component of work being carried out to upgrade the ISIS spallation neutron source at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) is the Front End Test Stand (FETS). FETS is aimed at improving the luminosity of the linac, and consists of a Penning ion source, Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT), Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ), and Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT). It may serve as a first part of the accelerator chain providing a 60 mA, 3 MeV H- beam up to a 10% duty cycle. The current output of the source and the transmission of the LEBT are reasonable, but there are issues with the alignment to provide a centred beam matched into the acceptance of the RFQ. Improvements have been made to the post acceleration to address this problem. Measurements with a collimated beam have been performed to understand the behaviour of the solenoids and steerer magnets. Comparing these results with simulations proved that, besides possible mechanical imperfections of the ion source and post acceleration assembly, agreement can only be achieved if the magnetic fields are distorted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the emittance and increase the transported beam current from the ISIS Penning-type H- ion source, improvements to the extraction system are required. This ion source is currently being commissioned on the front end test stand at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which demands higher extraction energies, higher beam currents, and smaller emittances. To facilitate this, the present geometry requires optimization. This paper details the experimental and simulation studies performed of the plasma meniscus and the possible electrode geometry modifications needed to extract the highest quality beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of a new "low energy beams" group at ISIS, the decision was taken to expand the ion source area. This paper will explain what actions were taken, how this has improved the present working environment and how the space will be used to accommodate a medium energy beam transport (MEBT) section after the existing radio-frequency quadrupole. The MEBT will incorporate three 202.5 MHz re-bunching cavities and will achieve a transmission of 96% with minimal emittance growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]