High Efficiency Beam Splitting for H- Accelerators

Beam splitting for high energy accelerators has typically involved a significant loss of beam and radiation. This paper reports on a new method of splitting beams for H- accelerators. This technique uses a high intensity flash of light to strip a fraction of the H- beam to Ho which are then easily separated by a small bending magnet. A system using a 900-watt (average electrical power) flashlamp and a highly efficient collector will provide 10-3 to 10-2 splitting of a 50 MeV H- beam. Results on the operation and comparisons with stripping cross sections are presented. Also discussed is the possibility for developing this system to yield a higher stripping fraction.