Physics and Technology of Compact Plasma Traps

ECR Ion Sources are deemed to be among the most performing ion sources feeding particle accelerators, cyclotrons in particular. Improvements of their performances strictly depend on the knowledge of plasma physics in compact magnetic traps. The paper will comment on the results obtained by the INFN-LNS team and international collaborators by means of a multi-diagnostics setup able to monitor the evolution in space and time of several plasma parameters, simultaneously with beam extraction and analysis in the LEBT, in single vs. double frequency operations, including the RF power and magnetic field scalings, and exploring regimes dominated by plasma turbulence. The results are relevant for the operations of existing ion sources and for the design of new ones. Compact magnetic traps fashioned in a similar way of ECRISs can be considered as an experimental environment by itself: we are exploring this opportunity relying to the in-plasma measurements of radionuclides lifetimes (in particular, beta-decaying elements): CosmoChronometers or nuclei involved in the s-process nucleosynthesis are among the case studies, opening new perspectives in the nuclear astrophysics field.
Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Cyclotrons and their Applications, Cyclotrons2019, Cape Town, South Africa