A system of distributed cesium feeding for increasing the efficiency of powerful sources of negative hydrogen ions

Abstract

Injection of high-power flows of high-energy neutral atoms is often required in modern facilities designed for fusion research. At energies of several hundreds keV, obtaining neutral atom flows is ineffective and converting them from negative ion beams is expedient. The efficiency of negative-ion production increases by many times if a cesium film is applied to the surface on which negative ions are produced. An optimized system of distributed cesium feeding is described. Using this system, it is possible to transport cesium vapor through large distances and its uniform application to large-area emitting surfaces in high-power sources of negative hydrogen ions.