Booster-Nuclotron beam line for NICA project

This paper presents the concept of the booster-Nuclotron beam line for the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) accelerator complex being developed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia). The beam line serves for ion beam transportation and stripping at an intermediate energy. The magnetic system of the beam line is considered. The results of a simulation of gold Au³²⁺/Au⁷⁹⁺ ion beam dynamics in the beam line are presented.     

Probing a cooled beam of decelerated highly-charged heavy ions extracted out of the ESR by a channeling experiment

A cooled beam of decelerated highly-charged heavy ions is slowly extracted out of the cooler and storage ring ESR, by combining the deceleration technique and the charge exchange extraction mode. The quality of the external ion beam is tested by a channeling experiment. Bare Au⁷⁹⁺ ions are injected into the ESR at an energy of 360 MeV/u, decelerated to 53 MeV/u, and finally cooled strongly in the electron cooler. By breeding of neighboring charge state ions via radiative recombination in the electron cooler H-like ions are produced. The H-like ion fraction is extracted out of the storage ring. This extracted Au⁷⁸⁺ ion beam is probed by a channeling experiment measuring the extinction rate of the projectile Kα X-ray yield around the [110] axis of a thin silicon crystal. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Luminosity of the NICA Collider in working mode with using electron cooling system

The paper investigates the problem of balance between the intrabeam scattering, electron cooling and radiative recombination processes in the NICA Collider working mode with using of electron cooling system. The reducing methods of radiative recombination influence due to electron cooling are discussed.     

Beam-cooling methods in the NICA project

The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility (NICA) is a new accelerator complex under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) for experiments with colliding beams of heavy ions up to gold at energies as high as 4.5 × 4.5 GeV/u aimed at studying hot and dense strongly interacting nuclear matter and searching for possible indications of the mixed phase state and critical points of phase transitions. This facility comprises an ion source of the electron-string type, a 3-MeV/u linear accelerator, a 600-MeV/u superconducting booster synchrotron (Booster), a Nuclotron (upgraded superconducting synchrotron with a maximum energy of 4.5 GeV/u for ions with the charge-to-mass ratio Z/A = 1/3), and a collider consisting of two vertically separated superconducting rings with an average luminosity of 10²⁷ cm^?2 s^?1 in an energy range over 3.0 GeV/u. Beam cooling is supposed to be used in two NICA elements, the Booster, and the collider rings. The Booster is intended for the storage of ¹⁹⁷Au³¹⁺ ions to an intensity of about 4 × 10⁹ particles; their acceleration to the energy 600 MeV/u, which is sufficient for the complete stripping of nuclei (an increase in the injection energy and the charge state of ions makes the requirements for vacuum conditions in the Nuclotron less stringent); and the formation of the necessary beam emittance using the electron cooling system. Two independent beam-cooling systems, a stochastic one and an electron one, are supposed to be used in the collider. The parameters of the cooling systems, the optimum mode of operation for the collider, and the arrangement and design of the elements of the systems are discussed.     

Booster synchrotron of NICA accelerator complex

NICA is a new accelerator complex being constructed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research; the main task of this complex is to perform collider experiments for ion beams up to uranium with energies of up to 3.5 × 3.5 GeV/nucleon. This complex includes an electron string ion source, a 6 MeV/nucleon linear accelerator, a booster, the Nuclotron, and a collider with an average luminosity of 10²⁷ cm² s^?1. The main tasks of the booster are to accumulate up to 4 × 10^{9 197}Au³²⁺ ions, to accelerate to 600 MeV/nucleon (sufficient enough energy for completely stripping nuclei), to reduce the requirements of vacuum conditions for the Nuclotron, and to form the necessary beam emittance using an electron cooling system. The specific features of the NICA booster and the requirements for the basic systems of the synchrotron and their parameters are presented in this paper.     

Recombination measurements at low energies with Au49+,50+,51+ at the TSR

Recombination of Au⁴⁹⁺, Au⁵⁰⁺, and Au⁵¹⁺ ions has been studied at the TSR. With Au⁵⁰⁺ ions a storage lifetime of only 2 to 4 s was observed with the magnetically expanded electron beam of the cooler at a density of n_e = 10⁷ cm^-3. This short storage time is a consequence of the highest recombination rate coefficient ever observed with an atomic ion (1.8·10^-6 cm³ s^-1 at zero relative energy E_rel = 0 between electrons and ions). At about 30 meV a huge dielectronic recombination resonance is found with a record small width of only about 15 meV. Such resonances fortuitously occurring near E_rel=0 are probably the main reason for the enhanced recombination rates observed with Au⁵⁰⁺, with Pb⁵³⁺ (in a recent experiment at LEAR) as well as with other complex ions. For Au⁴⁹⁺ and Au⁵¹⁺ the recombination rates are smaller by an order of magnitude. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

高离化态金离子的辐射复合及其退激发过程的理论研究

利用基于多组态Dirac-Fock方法的程序包GRASP92和RATIP以及最新发展的RERR06程序,详细计算了高离化态金离子(类镍Au51+、类铜Au50+和类锌Au49+)俘获一个自由电子到nl(n=4—8,l=0—3)壳层的辐射复合谱以及相应的辐射退激发谱.理论计算的辐射复合谱很好地重现了实验谱.研究结果表明:对类镍Au51+、类铜Au50+和类锌Au49+而言,将一个自由电子俘获到n=4壳层的概率最大;在辐射复合过程之后,处在n=4壳层的俘获电子的辐射退激发谱线最强,并且体现了整个辐射退激发谱的主要特征.     

Vacuum requirements for the booster of NICA accelerator complex

This paper presents the results of a calculation of ¹⁹⁷Au³²⁺ ion beam losses as they interact with atoms and molecules of residual gas in the acceleration chamber of the booster vacuum system of the NICA accelerator complex [1].     

Ionization of iridium ions in the Dresden EBIT studied by X-ray spectroscopy of direct excitation and radiative recombination processes

Ir^q+ ( 41≤q≤64) ions with open-shell configurations have been produced in the electron beam of the room-temperature Dresden Electron Beam Ion Trap (Dresden EBIT) at electron excitation energies from 2 keV to 13 keV. X-ray emission from direct excitation processes and radiative capture in krypton-like to aluminium-like iridium ions is measured with an energy dispersive Si(Li) detector. The detected X-ray lines are analyzed and compared with results from multiconfigurational Dirac-Fock (MCDF) atomic structure calculations. This allows to determine dominant produced ion charge states at different electron energies. The analysis shows that at the realized working gas pressure of 5×10^-9mbar for higher charged ions the maximum ion charge state is not preferently determined by the chosen electron beam energy needed for ionization of certain atomic substates, but by the balance between ionization and charge state reducing processes as charge exchange and radiative recombination. This behaviour is also discussed on the basis of model calculations for the resulting ion charge state distribution. Received 12 July 2001 and Received in final form 10 September 2001     

Recombination of lithium-like bismuth and uranium ions with free electrons at the ESR

In two separate experiments at the ESR recombination of 230 MeV/u Bi⁸⁰⁺ and 170 MeV/u U⁸⁹⁺ ions was studied. The analysis of these experiments has been carried on in order to extract information about radiative recombination (RR) of very highly charged ions exposed to electrons with a density of few 10⁶ cm^-3. In the light of the recombination rate enhancement seen in almost all recent experiments at a relative energy E_rel = 0 eV, a surprising result is found for the very highly charged ions, which could add some confusion to an already puzzling picture: in spite of the high charge state of the investigated ions there is no evidence of enhanced recombination beyond the expected RR rate. This observation appears to be supported by other experimental findings at the ESR as well. We suspect, however, that this is a consequence of excessive transverse magnetic field components in the ESR cooler (which have meanwhile been corrected for) causing variable degrees of angular mismatch between the ion beam and the electron beam occurring when the ring settings are tuned for optimum cooling. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Recombination of electrons with highly charged heavy ions at very low energies

Recombination of highly charged ions with free electrons is studied in merged-beams experiments at the UNILAC accelerator in Darmstadt and at the heavy-ion storage ring TSR in Heidelberg. Unexpected high recombination rates are observed for a number of ions at very low energiesE _cm in the electron-ion center-of-mass frame. In particular, theoretical estimates for radiative recombination are dramatically exceeded by the experimental recombination rates of U²⁸⁺ ions nearE _cm=0 eV. The observations point to a general phenomenon in electron ion recombination depending onE _cm, on the ion charge state, and possibly also on electron density, electron beam temperature, and strength of external magnetic fields.     

Features of cooling dynamics in a high-voltage electron cooling system of the COSY

An electron cooler designed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics for the Cooler Synchrotron COSY (Juelich, Germany) has been put into operation. The aim of this cooling device is to prevent the beam scattering on an internal target up to the maximal energy of the transmitted beam. The device provides cooling in a strong longitudinal magnetic field generated in a high-voltage area. The motion of electrons in the magnetic field considerably improves the kinetics of electron—ion collisions, because their transverse velocity component (which is very high as a rule) does not participate in the process. First experiments on electron beam cooling on energy 200 MeV were made in 2013. Early in 2014, sessions on electron beam cooling to 200, 350, 580, and 1660 MeV were carried out. In other experiments, deuterium beams were cooled down. Experimental data for the cooling time are compared with the respective theoretical predictions. These results may be used in cooling projects for the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA), Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia, and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), Darmstadt, Germany.     

Investigating the adiabatic beam grouping at the NICA accelerator complex

The NICA complex comprises the Booster and Nuclotron synchrotrons for accelerating particle beams to the required energy and the Collider machine, in which particle collisions are investigated. The experimental heavy-ion program deals with ions up to Au⁺⁷⁹. The light-ion program deals with polarized deuterons and protons. Grouping of a beam coasting in an ion chamber is required in many parts of the complex. Beam grouping may effectively increase the longitudinal emittance and particle losses. To avoid these negative effects, various regimes of adiabatic grouping have been simulated and dedicated experiments with a deuteron beam have been conducted at the Nuclotron machine. As a result, we are able to construct and optimize the beam-grouping equipment, which provides a capture efficiency near 100% either retaining or varying the harmonic multiplicity of the HF system.     

Spectrum Simulation of Li-Like Aluminium Plasma

X-ray emission spectra for L-shell of Li-like aluminium ions are simulated by using the flexible atomic code based on the collisional radiative model. Atomic processes including radiative recombination, dielectronic recombination, collisional ionization and resonance excitation from the neighbouring ion （Al^9＋ and Al^11＋ ） charge states of the target ion （Al^10＋） are considered in the model. In addition, the contributions of different atomic processes to the x-ray spectrum are analysed. The results show that dielectronic recombination, radiative recombination, collisional ionization and resonance excitation, other than direct collisional excitation, are very important processes.     

Density dependence of recombination in the electron cooler of CRYRING

The electron-ion recombination rates of Ne¹⁰⁺ and D⁺ have been measured as a function of relative energy and electron density. We found a strong enhancement of e-Ne¹⁰⁺ recombination over expected radiative recombination rates below 1 meV relative energies, reaching a factor of 4 close to zero relative energy. Remarkably, the measured rate coefficients decrease as a function of electron density for both systems. Studies of recombination of D⁺ indicate that this density dependence may be due to temperature variations of the electron beam with the electron density.     

Recombination of Au25+ with free electrons at low energies

The origin of the widely observed enhancement of rates for electron-ion recombination at very low energies is still unknown. We investigated the recombination of Au²⁵⁺ with free electrons in a merged-beams experiment at the UNILAC accelerator of the GSI in Darmstadt. At E _rel= 0 eV we found an enormous enhancement factor of 365 compared to the theory of radiative recombination. An increase of the electron density by a factor of 10 had not much influence on the measured rate coefficient. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Consecutive reversible ionization-recombination reactions and ionic charge state distribution of Au plasma

The ionic charge state distribution is an important diagnostics parameter for laser in-ertia confinement fusion (LICF). It is usually obtained by solving Saha equation or using some other models, such as local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), corona equilibrium (CE), collision-radiation (CR) and average atom (AA); however, these methods are rather limited for high-Z element plasma. The theory of entropy fluctuation is also a pos-sible method[1]. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (…     

Electron cooling experiments in CSR

The six species heavy ion beam was accumulated with the help of electron cooling in the main ring of Cooler Storage Ring of Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR). The ion beam accumulation dependence on the parameters of cooler was investigated experimentally. The 400 MeV/u ¹²C⁶⁺ and 200 MeV/u ¹²⁹Xe⁵⁴⁺ were stored and cooled in the experimental ring CSRe, and the cooling force was measured in different conditions.