PIC simulations of an achromatic solenoidal focusing system for LMF

The nominal 1000-MJ yield of a Laboratory Microfusion Facility (LMF) pellet requires at least a 1.5-m-radius target chamber to contain the blast. A geometry has been identified that uses an annular ion beam with a center plug, has a total transport length of 4 m, and allows no direct line of sight from the target blast to the ion diode. An analytic model for an achromatic, two-lens system that is capable of transporting a 30-MV, 1-MA Li ion beam over this distance has been developed. The system uses both self-B_θ and solenoidal magnetic lenses. The beam microdivergence requirement is minimized by locating the final solenoidal lens at the target chamber wall. In the present work, the analytic model was verified by PIC (particle-in-cell) transport calculations. A realistic coil system has been designed to supply the required 2-T solenoidal fields. Simulations show that a lithium beam can be transported over the 4-m distance with better than 70% energy and power efficiency, delivering roughly 1 MJ/beam to the target if a 6-mrad microdivergence is achieved at the diode