High current density production of multicharged ions with ECR plasma heated by gyrotron transmitter

In order to study the possibilities to produce high currents of pulsed heavy ion beams dedicated to synchrotron injection, two new approaches of ECR devices are now underway. The basic principle consists in maintaining a functioning point of the source with the highest density as possible and a minimum confinement time for the production of a given charge state. It means that for a constant n(e)tau(i) product we try to maximize n(e) and minimize tau(i). For this purpose two experiments are in progress at ISN/Grenoble(a) and IAP/Nizhny Novgorod.(b) The first one consists of using a minimum \B\ magnetic structure with a 1.8 mirror ratio characteristic value with a 28 GHz frequency injection. In this case we explore different functioning points up to 10 kW of UHF power. The second one consists of a simple mirror magnetic system (simple mirror ion source, SMIS) working at 37.5 GHz with a mirror ratio up to 3 (2.5 T) where we study discharges with a peak power up to 100 kW. We will show that, in spite of a very short rising time of the current, we can maintain the production of multicharged ions and that we can observe very high current densities. In the future, the challenge will be the design of an extraction geometry matching theses current levels. (C) 2002 Arnerican Institute of Physics.