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Long life radio frequency surface plasma source

Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-SC0011323
Agency Tracking Number: 210266
Amount: $150,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: 30d
Solicitation Number: DE-FOA-0000969
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2014
Award Year: 2014
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2014-02-18
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2014-11-17
Small Business Information
552 N Batavia Ave
Batavia, IL 60510-0000
United States
DUNS: 117921259
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Vadim Dudnikov
 Dr.
 (631) 807-9960
 dvg43@yahoo.com
Business Contact
 Roberts Thomas
Title: Dr.
Phone: (630) 840-2424
Email: tjrob@muonsinc.com
Research Institution
 ORNL
 
P.O. box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6462
United States

 () -
 Federally Funded R&D Center (FFRDC)
Abstract

The development of H- ion sources with highest performance is essential for the success of the next generation of high power proton accelerators. Project X at Fermilab needs a CW H- Ion Source that satisfies demanding performance specifications: 10 mA CW beam current with normalized transverse rms emittance 0.2 mm-mr, fast chopping capability, fast intensity variation, and high availability. Many other new accelerator projects need CW and pulsed H- beams with performance exceeding those achieved
today. Currently, no H- source satisfies these demands. In this project, we will develop novel modifications of H- source designs to satisfy these requirements based on a CW version of a Saddle Antenna (SA) RF Surface Plasma Source (SPS) that was developed for pulsed ORNL SNS operation. The unique plasma distribution generated by the saddle antenna allows more than 15 mA CW current with low power and corresponding longer lifetime. In addition, the new design will have improved electrode cooling using new materials, a new cesiation procedure with reduced cesium loss, and even longer lifetime through suppression of electrode sputtering and immunity to electrode shorting. The design will also be modified to be a long-life CW high-intensity proton source. The design of the advanced SPS with SA RF discharge will be developed including optimization of the H- emitter, cesiation, beam extraction, formation and transport. A prototype CW SA SPS will be developed and tested to validate the feasibility of producing the required parameters. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The applications of the new source to be developed in this project include proton drivers to be used for neutrino factories, muon colliders, spallation neutron sources, and accelerator-driven subcritical reactors. The source is an upgrade path for many other existing and planned applications such as medical treatments (including hundreds of cyclotrons with external injection for isotope production and high current tandem accelerators for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy), and homeland defense using resonant gamma ray techniques to detect explosives and special nuclear materials.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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