Strong focusing gradient in a linear active plasma lens

• Published in: Physical review. Accelerators and beams Vol. 24; no. 12; p. 121306
• Main Authors: Sjobak, K. N., Adli, E., Corsini, R., Farabolini, W., Boyle, G., Lindstrøm, C. A., Meisel, M., Osterhoff, J., Röckemann, J.-H., Schaper, L., Dyson, A. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Norwegian
• Published: College Park American Physical Society 01.12.2021; APS
• Subjects: Argon; Charged particles; Current pulses; Emittance; Focusing; Magnetic fields; Magnetic lenses; Magnets; Particle beams; Quadrupoles; Reproducibility
• ISSN: 2469-9888; 2469-9888
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.24.121306

Active plasma lenses are compact devices developed as a promising beam-focusing alternative for charged particle beams, capable of short focal lengths for high-energy beams. We have previously shown that linear magnetic fields with gradients of around 0.3 kT/m can be achieved in argon-filled plasma lenses that preserve beam emittance [C.A. Lindstrøm et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 194801 (2018)]. Here we show that with argon in a500μmdiameter capillary, the fields are still linear with a focusing gradient of 3.6 kT/m, which is an order of magnitude higher than the gradients of quadrupole magnets. The current pulses that generate the magnetic field are provided by compact Marx banks, and are highly repeatable. The demonstrated operation with simultaneously high-gradient, linear fields and good repeatability establish active plasma lenses as an ideal device for pulsed particle beam applications requiring very high focusing gradients that are uniform throughout the lens aperture.