Acceleration and stability of high-current ion beams in two accelerating gaps of a linear induction accelerator

Results are presented from numerical simulations of the propagation dynamics of a hollow high-current ion beam in two magnetically shielded cusps (separated by a transport channel) of a linear induction accelerator. Previous studies have shown that the charge and current of an ion beam can be neutralized almost completely by means of the injection of an electron beam into the accelerating gap and an auxiliary injection of thermal electrons into the transport channel. For the enhanced acceleration of ion beams in accelerators with two cusps, the optimum ratio between the accelerating potential and the electron-beam energy is found numerically. It is shown that the proposed method for neutralizing ion beams ensures their stability against both filamentation and slipping instabilities.