SCIENTIFIC AND ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

LABORATORY OF PLASMA SOURCES

The Plasma Sources Laboratory is the youngest sub-structure of the Institute. It is originated from the plasma sources group earlier belonged to the Laboratory of Plasma Emission Electronics. On the decision of the Scientific Board of the Institute the Plasma Sources Laboratory was formed on April 25 of 2001. Prof. Efim Oks was elected the head of the laboratory. Today the laboratory staff consists of 7 scientific associates, including 2 Doctor of Science, 4 Candidates of Science, and 1 post-graduate student.

Scientific Activities

Investigation of vacuum arc and glow discharge physics.
Development of charged particle sources for the purpose of material surface modification and charged particle injection in accelerators.

The main scientific achievements

In the field of physics of vacuum arc discharges:

The processes were investigated and techniques developed on increase of ion charging in vacuum arc discharge plasma using strong magnetic field, discharge current short-run increase and injection in electron beam plasma. Based on these studies, heavy metals ion beams with charging of up to 8+ at beam current of 0,1–1 A have been obtained.
Measurement procedure for vacuum arc plasma ion velocities via short-run vacuum discharge plasma disturbance was developed, and directed ion velocities in every charging state were defined practically for all periodic system conducting elements.

In the field of glow discharge physics:

Decreasing procedure of hollow cathode discharge operating pressure at the rate of 10-5 Torr through injection into glow discharge plasma of additional electrons produced from glow or arc auxiliary discharges was suggested and developed.

In the field of charged particle beams production:

The processes of gas ions production in vacuum arc discharge plasma were investigated. Thereupon, a number of ion sources not analogous in the world by their parameters producing gas or metal ion beams as well as hybrid gas-metal ion beams were developed and created.
A pulsed electron source with current beam density of 100 A/cm² at pulse duration of 100 ms has been developed and manufactured.
A technique of ion current noise level reduction in vacuum arc ion source used for metal ions injection into accelerator was developed.
Based on the studies carried out, the created ion sources were delivered under agreements concluded by the Institute of High Current Electronics with different laboratories, now being successfully used at the National Laurence Livermore Laboratory and Company "Figen" (USA), at University labs of Dalian, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou (China), as well as at the Soltan Institute of Nuclear Research (Poland). In the frames of scientific and technological cooperation, based on the studies carried out at the laboratory, modernization of Mevva type ion sources at the LLNL (USA), the Dokutz Elul University (Turkey), GSI Center (Germany), and the Institute of Low-Energy Nuclear Physics (China) was made.

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