Speaker
Description
Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a highly sensitive technique for the detection of long-lived radionuclides and rare isotopes, with applications spanning archaeology, earth sciences, environmental studies, biomedicine, and nuclear science. AMS systems rely on the production of stable negative ion beams, most commonly using Cs sputter ion sources, followed by acceleration and molecular suppression to enable high-sensitivity isotope measurements. The output efficiency, stability, and operational reliability of the ion source therefore play a central role in the overall efficiency and reproducibility of AMS measurements.
This invited contribution will present an overview of the ETH-developed Cs sputter source systems, including improvements in low-maintenance operation, beam stability, and reproducibility. Operational experience from routine AMS applications and recent source optimisation efforts will be discussed.
The presentation will then focus on ongoing studies exploring the low-energy operating limits of the Cs sputter source, motivated by future injection into an ion cooler forming part of a new isobar suppression system. Measurements and ion-optical calculations of the extracted beam phase space are being used to investigate beam properties and matching conditions at reduced extraction energies.
These studies provide insight into the practical limits of low-energy operation of the ETH Cs sputter source and the associated trade-offs in beam output and emittance. The results are intended to inform the future integration of sputter sources with ion cooling and photodetachment systems, and to guide the development of low-energy beam transport schemes for next-generation AMS applications.
| Email address | lbezzina@phys.ethz.ch |
|---|---|
| Visitor's Visa | no |
| Classification | Applications of Negative sources - medical (diagnostics, therapy), industrial (implantation, materials analysis, carbon dating, discovery science |