Ion Beam Neutralization with Ferroelectrically Generated Electron Beams

A technique for ion beam space-charge neutralization with pulsed electron beams is described. The intensity of multiply-charged ions produced with a laser ion source can be enhanced or decreased separately with electron beam trains of MHz repetition rate. These are generated with ferroelectric cathodes, which are pulsed in synchronization with the laser ion source. The pulsed electron beams guide the ion beam in a similar way to the alternating gradient focusing of charged particle beams in circular accelerators such as synchrotrons. This new neutralization technology overcomes the Langmuir Child space-charge limit and may in future allow ion beam currents to be transported with intensities by orders of magnitude higher than those which can be accelerated today in a single vacuum tube.