2016/10/17 by P.A. Seidl, Seidl, P. A., Qing Ji +31
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Ion-surface interactions and analysis #Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics #Particle accelerators and beam dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1610.05253
openalex publication_date 2016/10/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present an overview of the performance of the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-II (NDCX-II) accelerator at Berkeley Lab, and summarize recent studies of material properties created with nanosecond and millimeter-scale ion beam pulses. The scientific topics being explored include the dynamics of ion induced damage in materials, materials synthesis far from equilibrium, warm dense matter and intense beam-plasma physics. We summarize the improved accelerator performance, diagnostics and results of beam-induced irradiation of thin samples of, e.g., tin and silicon. Bunches with over 3x1010 ions, 1- mm radius, and 2-30 ns FWHM duration have been created. To achieve these short pulse durations and mm-scale focal spot radii, the 1.2 MeV He+ ion beam is neutralized in a drift compression section which removes the space charge defocusing effect during final compression and focusing. Quantitative comparison of detailed particle-in-cell simulations with the experiment play an important role in optimizing accelerator performance; these keep pace with the accelerator repetition rate of ~1/minute.