Operational Experience with ECR Ion Sources and Related R&D at INFN-LNL

by Dr Carmelo Sebastiano Gallo (INFN - LNL)

Friday 11 Jul 2025, 10:00 → 12:00 Europe/Rome

C. Villi meeting room

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS) are widely used in accelerator facilities for the production of high-intensity, highly charged ion beams, as well as for charge breeding of radioactive
species in ISOL-type facilities such as SPES, where an ECR-based Charge Breeder is employed. These sources operate by generating and magnetically confining a plasma, in which highly charged ions are
produced through electron impact ionisation.
At INFN-LNL, the PIAVE-ALPI accelerator complex is equipped with a fully permanent magnet ECRIS, which in recent years has achieved record performance in terms of beam time delivered to users. In parallel, the ADIGE injector—part of the SPES project—is nearing its first beam extraction from the charge breeder developed in collaboration with LPSC Grenoble.
This seminar will present my operational experience and R&D activities on ECR sources and their related applications, carried out within the Injectors Service. After a brief introduction to the key physical mechanisms that govern source operation, I will focus on the development of new beams, highlighting the challenges encountered with various techniques, particularly in view of future uranium beam production. The talk will also cover the implementation of technical solutions and the results of R&D efforts aimed at improving source performance, including plasma studies and electromagnetic simulations.
Finally, I will discuss my contribution to the NQSTI (National Quantum Science and Technology Institute) initiative, as part of the Italian PNRR programme.