arXiv subjects

Andrea Cernuschi

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Cernuschi.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Theoretical study of the ECRIPAC accelerator concept

The Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Plasma ACcelerator (ECRIPAC) is an original concept for a plasma-based particle accelerator able to generate pulsed ion beams with adjustable energy, targeting mostly medical applications. This paper thoroughly reviews the working principle and physical theory behind the ECRIPAC accelerator concept, incorporating significant corrections to the existing limited literature on the subject, making it a suitable reference for future studies. Mathematical derivations for several physical formulas are also included. Moreover, a detailed theoretical investigation of the stability condition for the ion acceleration is presented, highlighting more stringent limitations than previously anticipated. Next, the impact of several physical parameters on the accelerator design is analyzed, providing an overview of achievable external fields and plasma characteristics allowing a stable ion acceleration.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2025

Milestone toward an ECRIPAC accelerator demonstrator

The Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Plasma ACcelerator (ECRIPAC) is an original accelerator concept proposed in the nineties for the generation of highly energetic pulsed ion beams, suitable for a wide array of applications. The initial studies on the subject were characterized by an important calculation mistake, leading to an incomplete and erroneous literature on the topic. Nevertheless, the simple and well mastered techniques involved in the system (radio frequency and magnetic field), together with the device compactness, are strong motivations for further studies on ECRIPAC. This work proposes a comprehensive introduction to the ECRIPAC accelerator physics, including a summary of its corrected theory. The designs of several compact demonstrator devices, able to accelerate different ion species to energies up to 100 MeV, are presented. A particular focus is devoted to a He2+ accelerator, capable of generating 9.5 MeV/nucleon ions inside a 1.8 m long accelerating cavity. This device has been simulated using a Monte-Carlo (MC) code, developed to model the electron dynamics inside this system. The MC results show an excellent agreement with the updated theory, which validates the new theoretical framework of ECRIPAC. Finally, some estimations for the beam parameters of the ion bunch extracted from the accelerator are provided.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2025

Simulation of surface x-ray emission from the ASTERICS ECR ion source

The bremsstrahlung x-ray emission induced by the impact of plasma electrons de-confined on the chamber wall of the ASTERICS electron cyclotron resonance ion source is investigated through a suite of two simulation codes. The electron high energy temperature distribution tail at the wall is found to be anisotropic and increases with Bmin. The electrons impinge the walls with broad angular distribution peaking at angles ranging between 5-25{\deg} with respect to the surface, which has consequences on the x-ray emission directionality and on the yield of electrons bouncing back toward the plasma, reaching up to 50%. The x-ray dose is mapped inside and around the ion source for Bmin = 0.8 T and an electron temperature artificially increased to 120 keV to dimension with margin the cave shielding. The dose without shielding reaches 100 $\mu$Sv/h per kW of impacting electrons at 5 m. A set of internal and external shielding is presented to attenuate this dose and reduce it to less than 1 $\mu$Sv/h per kW of electrons. A parametric electron distribution temperature study with Fluka indicates that the deposition of 1 W of heat in the superconducting cold mass per kW of plasma electrons, as reported experimentally, is obtained when the temperature is set to 380 keV. Such a result is compatible with previous experiments achieved on several ion sources showing an x-ray spectral temperature 3 to 4 times higher radially.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Investigation of bremsstrahlung emission in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source and its dependence on the magnetic confinement

A Monte Carlo (MC) code is used to investigate the bremsstrahlung x-ray emission of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) and its dependence on the axial magnetic confinement. The x-ray spectral temperature Ts measured with the simulations is in fair agreement with previous experiments. The dependence of Ts on the minimum magnetic field of the configuration Bmin is corroborated, also observing that the ion extraction peak field Bext has no influence on temperature. Details on the mechanism generating the hot electron population responsible for the change in spectral x-ray temperature as a function of Bmin are proposed, based on an in-depth investigation of the electron population with the MC code using a high statistics.

physics.acc-ph↗