The use of electron beam in RIA R&D Original Research Article

This paper discusses two electron beam applications for the RIA (Rare Isotope Accelerator) R&D. The first is for simulating energy deposition of heavy ions on lithium jets. The peak energy deposition for a 400-kW uranium beam will be 4 MW/cm3. Calculations have shown that a 1-MeV electron beam with 40mA of current has a peak energy deposition about 4 MW/cm3 making it suitable to mimic the thermal response of lithium jet at that uranium beam heat load. The second application of electron beams for RIA R&D, discussed in this paper, is the use of low energy electron beam as a diagnosis tool for on-line monitoring of thickness variations of thin foils or thin jets. Thin foils can be corroded and jets might experience instabilities that can compromise their functionality. Low energy electron beams can be used to detect any change in thickness enabling a continuous on-line monitoring of the thin film being monitored. Calculations have indicated that variations in lithium jet thicknesses at the micron level can easily be detected.