Electron beams and Z-pinches as plasma strippers and lens for low-energy heavy ions

Numerous approaches to the production of intense beams of highly charged heavy ions are compared and contrasted. The competing processes of ionization and electron capture are described and evaluated to explore ways to further improve upon the encouraging recent results from electron-beam (E-MEVVA) and low-impedance Z-discharge (LIZ-MeV) variations on the venerable metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion source.