Plasma acceleration device

The invention concerns a compact beam acceleration and focusing system for plasma accelerators which, unlike already existing systems, incorporates the accelerator module and two focusing lenses (APL, Active Plasma Lens) into a single block.

How does it work?

Plasma accelerators are a new acceleration technology that, instead of traditional radio frequency cavities, uses waves in an ionized gas to accelerate particles. This makes it possible to build accelerators with the same performance as traditional machines but with a much smaller footprint and lower cost.

One of the problems of using plasma technology is the difficulty of focusing the beam only through very bulky and expensive magnetic quadrupoles. The invention exploits the concept of an active plasma lens (APL) in order to make an object that in one block contains two lenses at the ends of an accelerating module, one for focusing and one for capturing after acceleration. A system of this kind is more compact and easier to install and to use than those made up of three separate elements.

Applications

• A plasma accelerator, being more compact and economical than conventional ones, can be installed even in small hospitals.
• Similarly, they can be used by small and medium-sized companies for the analysis of materials.

Advantages

• Reduced cost and size compared to conventional accelerators
• The monolithic system allows the use of a single power supply for acceleration and focusing
• The monolithic structure allows the gas to be inserted in such a position that the cylindrical symmetry is not altered, resulting in better particle beam quality
• The fact that the APL lenses are a single block with the accelerator module eliminates alignment problems.