Diagnosing Transverse Profile of Ion Beam Using Off-Target X-Ray Radiation.

The upcoming experiments on heating targets using intense beams of heavy ions to be carried out within the scope of the FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) project require measuring the profile of the beam on the target to estimate the optimal energy uptake by materials exposed and to interpret accurately experimental results. We propose a method to diagnose the transverse distribution of intensity of ions through registering X-rays generated by the target as a result of the incident ion beam. The numerical code Geant4 is used to develop and design a full-scale experimental model to proceed with simulating X-ray diagnostics of the ion beam. The UNILAC accelerator (GSI, Germany) is used to validate the method proposed and compare it with the results of simulation. An Au⁺²⁶ ion beam (energy of 11.4 MeV/a.m.u.) is passed through a copper target 10 μm thick. The X-ray image of the target is formed on a CsI scintillator using a pinhole camera. The image is recorded using a digital sCMOS camera having a brightness amplifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]