A new time-resolved energy-flux gauge for pulsed ion beams

A new time-resolved energy-flux (TREF) gauge has been developed and tested for direct flux measurement of charge- and current-neutralized light-ion beams. This diagnostic technique is effective for any rapid energy deposition where the following conditions are met: (a) the time for stress release wave transit across the deposition region is much less than the deposition time, (b) the energy deposition depth is approximately flat over the penetration depth and constant in time, (c) the Gruneisen parameter is independent of energy or the energy dependence is known, and (d) the material behaves elastically. TREF gauge fluence measurements of 1-MeV proton beams agree well with simultaneous fluence calorimeter measurements. The gauge may be useful for diagnosing other pulsed energy deposition sources where the deposition region is shallow with respect to the deposition time.