Ion Sources for Production of Highly Charged Ion Beams

Abstract: Intense Highly Charged Ion Beams (HCIB) from injector and charge-breeder ion sources at heavy ion accelerator facilities are in demand to expand research in particle and nuclear physics as well as for radiation effects testing. With current accelerator upgrades and advances in accelerator technologies, not all HCIB demands can be met with existing ion sources. Continued Research and Development (R&D) in this field are therefore essential to continually improve their performance and match the unprecedented and increasingly higher HCIB requirements from the accelerator community. This White Paper discusses the present production capabilities of ion sources of HCIB, and the potentials of future Highly Charged Ion (HCI) sources. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of such sources along with paths forward for improving their performance to meet the requirements of present and future heavy ion accelerator facilities. This document is meant to be utilized as a basis to guide the conceptual design of future accelerators.