Undergraduate Research at Jefferson Lab

Studying Ion Trapping Rates in the EIC ERL and Effectiveness of Clearing Methods

Student: Elizabeth Scheuermann

School: University of Connecticut

Mentored By: Stephen Benson and Kirsten Deitrick

Ion trapping in particle accelerators refers to when gas molecules in the accelerator chamber become ionized by the beam, and become trapped due to electric forces between the beam and ions. As ions accumulate in this way, they can neutralize the electron beam leading to adverse effects such as non-linear focusing of the beam and changes in beam tune shift. We have developed a Python3 program that simulates ion kinematics in an accelerator chamber so as to predict if ion trapping will be a problem for the Electron Ion Collider, Energy Recovery Linac (EIC-ERL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In our simulations we found that ion trapping is predicted to occur in the EIC ERL, however beam gaps and clearing electrodes were both effective at reducing the problem. These results will inform scientists and engineers at Brookhaven on if clearing methods should be implemented.

[Watch the presentation on YouTube]