Measurements of the 152Srn(γ,n) Cross Section with Laser-Compton Scattering γ Rays and the Photon Difference Method

The cross sections of the ¹⁵²Sm(γ,n) and ¹⁹⁷Au(γ,n) reactions have been measured with the laser-Compton scattering (LCS) γ beam in the 8.3–12.4MeV energy range. The photon difference method has been used for LCS γ rays in the data analysis for the first time. The present data for ¹⁹⁷Au measured as the standard are in agreement with the preceding data and the recent recommendation. On the other hand, the preceding data for ¹⁵²Sm at 8.3 MeV are twice as large as the present data.     

Depth resolution of TOF-ERDA using a He beam

Depth resolution of time-of-flight ERDA using a ⁴He beam (He TOF-ERDA) has been studied. The measurement system consists of a time detector of the ion transmission type and a silicon surface-barrier detector. Depth resolution was measured using samples of carbon layers on silicon wafers and ⁴He beams with energies between 3.5 and 10.1 MeV. The depth resolution of 6.0 ± 1.6 nm (FWHM) was obtained with a 3.5 MeV ⁴He incident beam. The measured depth resolution agreed with that evaluated by a calculation. Comparison with other methods such as heavy ion (HI) TOF-ERDA, resonant elastic scattering and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) was performed. Depth resolution obtained by He TOF-ERDA is superior to that by NRA or resonant elastic scattering, and comparable to that by HI TOF-ERDA.     

Single electron capture by state-selected multiply charged Arq+ ions (q = 3,4)

State-selective single electron capture by multiply charged Ar^q+ ions (q = 3, 4) has been studied in rare gas targets with the aid of double translational spectroscopy. The energy gain spectra have been measured using different projectile beams, either extracted from an electron beam ion source or produced by electron capture reactions in an additional preparation cell. The influence of metastable projectile states as well as the reaction channel identification in complex systems are discussed.     

Negative ion beam extraction in ROBIN

The RF based single driver ?ve ion source experiment test bed ROBIN (Replica Of BATMAN like source in INDIA) has been set up at Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), India in a technical collaboration with IPP, Garching, Germany. A hydrogen plasma of density 5 × 10¹² cm^?3 is expected in driver region of ROBIN by launching 100 kW RF power into the driver by 1 MHz RF generator. The cesiated source is expected to deliver a hydrogen negative ion beam of 10 A at 35 kV with a current density of 35 mA/cm² as observed in BATMAN.In first phase operation of the ROBIN ion source, a hydrogen plasma has been successfully generated (without extraction system) by coupling 80 kW RF input power through a matching network with high power factor (cos θ > 0.8) and different plasma parameters have been measured using Langmuir probes and emission spectroscopy. The plasma density of 2.5 × 10¹¹ cm^?3 has been measured in the extraction region of ROBIN. For negative hydrogen ion beam extraction in second phase operation, extraction system has been assembled and installed with ion source on the vacuum vessel. The source shall be first operated in volume mode for negative ion beam extraction. The commissioning of the source with high voltage power supply has been initiated.     

Secondary electron emission from the entrance and exit surfaces of thin carbon foils under fast ion bombardment

The total secondary electron emission (SEE) yield from the entrance and exit surfaces of thin carbon foils under fast ion (¹⁶O, ¹⁹F, ³⁵Cl) bombardment has been measured as a function of the ion energy and the ion beam current intensity. Using a retarding field, the energy distribution of secondary electrons integrated over almost all angles of emission in the backward and forward directions has also been measured. It is found that total forward emission is larger than backward emission by factors of up to 2.5, 2.7 and 3.4 for ¹⁶O⁺³, ¹⁹F⁺³ and ³⁵Cl⁺⁵, respectively. It is suggested that the enhancement of forward SEE may be partly due to effects from the instantaneous charge state of the heavy ion beam in the solid in addition to the binary collisions of the projectile with individual electrons in the target. It is also shown that the total SEE yield from the entrance and exit surfaces of the target foils decreases with ion beam current intensity; this may be a beam-induced temperature effect. The total SEE yield in both the forward and backward directions is less sensitive to surface conditions for high velocity ions than for low velocity ions and the total yield from both surfaces of the foils is proportional to the ion stopping power in the target, where the constant of proportionality depends on the properties of material.     

Proton elastic scattering differential cross-sections for C

Carbon depth profiling presents a strong analytical challenge for all the major ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques, with elastic backscattering spectroscopy (EBS) being widely implemented. In the past, the ¹²C(p,p)¹²C reaction has been successfully evaluated for proton beam energies up to 4.5 MeV. Currently, an attempt is being made to extend this evaluation to higher energies, namely up to E_p,lab = 7 MeV. There is a certain lack of available and/or coherent datasets in literature for these relatively high proton beam energies at backward angles, suitable for IBA. Moreover, the few existing datasets are in certain cases discrepant. Thus, in the present work, the differential cross-section of proton elastic scattering on carbon were measured between 140°and 170°, in steps of 10°, for the proton beam energy range between 2.7 and 7 MeV. The experimental results obtained, along with data from literature, were evaluated applying nuclear physics models. The evaluated results were benchmarked using a thick, mirror polished glassy carbon target at different beam energies and detector angles.     

Ion energy dependence of interface parameters of ion beam sputter deposited W/Si interfaces

W thin films and W/Si/W tri-layer samples have been deposited on c-Si substrates in a home-made ion beam sputtering system at 1.5 × 10⁻³ Torr Ar working pressure, 10 mA grid current and at different Ar⁺ ion energies between 600 and 1200 eV. Grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity (GIXR) measurements in specular and diffused (detector scan) geometry have been carried out on the above samples. The measured GIXR spectra were fitted with theoretically simulated spectra and the different interface parameters viz., interface width, interface roughness and interface diffusion have been estimated for both Si-on-W and W-on-Si interfaces in the above samples. The variation of the above interface parameters as a function of ion energy used for W sputtering has been studied.     

Ion-implanted S targets for astrophysics studies

The fabrication of isotopically pure 10.4 μg/cm² targets of ³²S by the implantation of 60-100 keV negative ions into a 61 μg/cm² pure ¹²C thin foil is described. The process has been accomplished in rather shorter times than has been achieved previously by implanting the as-prepared carbon foil while still mounted on the underlying glass slide, thereby allowing for the use of much larger beam current intensities. The target has been assayed for absolute composition as a function of depth using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and excellent agreement between the measured and nominal ³²S fluences was observed. The implanted targets exhibit excellent stability with regard to subsequent 34.5 MeV proton beam irradiation.     

Measurement of the thermoluminescent response (supralinearity and efficiency) of LiF : Mg,Ti exposed to 0.7 MeV protons

The irradiation of LiF : Mg,Ti (TLD-100) chips by a defocused 0.7 MeV proton beam from an electrostatic accelerator has been achieved using radiochromic dye film to evaluate the beam transversal intensity distribution. The dose-response has been measured at fluences between 2.4 × 10⁸ and 5.7 × 10¹¹ p/cm² and peaks 3–9 show linear-supralinear-sublinear response. The efficiency, relative to ⁶⁰Co γ-rays, measured for the total thermoluminescent (TL) signal and peaks 5 and 7, equals 0.33, 0.22 and 1.4, respectively. The comparison of these and other low-energy data for peak 5 with Track Structure Theory (TST) efficiency calculations indicate that the latter must take into account the stopping of the incident ions in the dosimeter to achieve a reasonable agreement with the observations. In general, neither TST, nor Modified Track Structure Theory (MTST) are able to simultaneously predict the response to 5.3 MeV α-particles and 0.7 MeV protons for all the studied glow curve peaks. Track Interaction Model (TIM) and Unified Track/Defect Interaction Model. (UNIM) calculations of the supralinearity function f(D) of peaks 5 to 8 for 5.3 MeV α-particles and peaks 5 to 9 for 0.7 MeV protons, qualitatively describe the general trends measured in this work; only the UNIM agrees quantitatively with the data in both systems.     

Stopping power measurements of heavy ions (3 ? Z1 ? 14) in Mylar foil by time-of-flight spectrometry

Heavy ions elastic recoil detection analysis coupled with time of flight spectrometer (HIERDA_ToF-E) have been used to measure energy loss of charged particles in thin absorber. The stopping power of heavy ions has been determined in Mylar for ²⁸Si, ²⁷Al, ²⁴Mg, ¹⁹F, ¹⁶O, ¹²C and ⁷Li ions over a continuous range of energies 0.14-0.80 MeV/nucleon. The ions were recoils from the bombardment of different samples (Si, MgO, Al₂O₃, LiF and C) with a 27.5 MeV Kr⁺ beam. The energy loss of the recoil atoms is measured with and without additional foils placed in front of a Surface Barrier Detector (SBD). The energy of individual ions is determined from its ToF data; the exit energy after the stopping foil is measured using the SBD detector. We have compared our stopping values to those predicted by SRIM-2008 computer code, ICRU-73 stopping data tables, MSTAR calculations and to the published data from literature. The results show good agreement with limited existing data but indicate a large deviation among the predicted theoretical values at the low energy side of the stopping maximum peak.     

Development of micro-beam NRA for hydrogen mapping: Observation of fatigue-fractured surface of glassy alloys

A micro-beam NRA system by means of a resonant nuclear reaction of ¹H(¹⁵N, αγ)¹²C has been developed at the beam line in MALT, University of Tokyo. The beam optics was analyzed in terms of the phase diagram. By carefully suppressing the spherical aberration of the final quadrupole magnetic lens, the ¹⁵N beam at the energy of 6.4 MeV was focused on targets with a size of 17 μm × 30 μm. For the precise positioning of the sample and beam spot, a combination of the mirror and optical microscope was adopted, so that the hydrogen concentration can be measured at a desirable position of the sample. With this new system, the hydrogen concentrations of fatigue-fractured surfaces of glassy alloys were determined from the viewpoint of the hydrogen embrittlement: Zr₅₀Cu₃₇Al₁₀Pd₃ and Zr₅₀Cu₄₀Al₁₀. Depth-resolved two-dimensional (2D) mapping of hydrogen concentration was performed in the area of 3 mm × 3 mm with an in-plane resolution of 150 μm. The maps taken at three different depths revealed that the hydrogen concentration is higher in the fatigue-fractured regions in both samples.     

Improved energy resolution of a cyclotron beam for RBS measurements

For RBS (Rutherford Back Scattering) analysis, the quality of the beam is of premium importance because the depth profile resolution of the method is strongly dependent on the energy resolution of the probing beam. A magnetic analyzer, consisting of two 90 left-right bending magnets forming an achromatic doublet has been adapted to the Liege 20 MeV (proton) AVF (Azimuthal Varying Field) cyclotron. The energy resolution of that system has been measured by recording the resonance width of a ³²S(p,p′γ)³²S (3.38 MeV. p⁺ lab. energy). We have obtained a value of ΔE = ± 2 keV, reducing by a factor of 20 the natural dispersion of our cyclotron.We describe our magnetic analyzer system and present the results of our RBS measurements at energies up to 14 MeV α.     

New integral experiments for large angle scattering cross section data benchmarking with DT neutron beam at JAEA/FNS

A new integral experiment with a deuteron–triton fusion (DT) neutron beam started in order to validate scattering cross section data. First the DT neutron beam was constructed with a collimator. The performance of the collimator system and the characteristics of the DT neutron beam were measured. Second a new integral experiment for type 316 stainless steel (SS316) was carried out with this DT neutron beam. The DT neutron beam of 3.5 cm in diameter was injected to the front surface center of an SS316 cylindrical assembly. Reaction rates of the ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb reaction in the assembly were measured with the activation foil method and were calculated with the Monte Carlo transport calculation code. The measurement points were located at three positions, on the center of the beam axis and at 15 cm and 30 cm apart from the axis. The ratio of calculation to experiment of the ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb reaction rate became smaller than 1 with the distance from the beam axis. Then, the dependency of each reaction rate on scattering angle was calculated. It was proved that at off-axis positions, where C/E is smaller than 1, 90° scattering contribute relatively larger than at on-axis positions and backward scattering made little contribution to the results in this experiment. The reasons of the discrepancy between the measured and calculated data will be investigated.     

Control of first-wall surface conditions in the 2XIIB magnetic mirror plasma confinement experiment

The control of first-wall surface conditions in the 2XIIB Magnetic Mirror Plasma Confinement experiment is described. Before each plasma shot, the first wall is covered with a freshly gettered titanium surface. Up to 5 MW of neutral beam power has been injected into 2XIIB, resulting in first-wall bombardment fluxes of 10¹⁷ atoms · cm^?2 · s^?1 of 13-keV mean energy deuterium atoms for several ms. The background gas flux is measured with a calibrated, 11-channel, fast-atom detector. Background gas levels are found to depend on surface conditions, injected beam current, and beam pulse duration. For our best operating conditions, an efective reflex coefficient of 0.3 can be inferred from the measurements. Experiments with long-duration and high-current beam injection are limited by charge exchange; however, experiments with shorter beam duration are not limited by first-wall surface conditions. We conclude that surface effects will be reduced further with smoother walls.     

Development of a high intensity Al beam from SiC targets for accelerated beam experiments at ISAC

An intense beam of ^26gAl has been developed for accelerated beam experiments at TRIUMF’s ISAC facility. Studies of the on-line production of Al radionuclides from thick silicon carbide targets have been performed as part of a program of beam development for astrophysical reaction studies at ISAC. While the release of short-lived Al nuclides from SiC was found to be slow, development of new target material forms and high-power target containers has allowed operation of SiC targets with proton currents of up to 70 μA on target. In addition, operation with the TRIUMF resonant ionization laser ion source (TRILIS) has produced ^26gAl beam intensities of 5.1 × 10¹⁰ s⁻¹.     

Effect of MeV beams on the interface structure of metal(adlayer)-silicon (crystal substrate) systems

The influence of MeV ion beams on the measured intensity of the surface peak (SP) in channeling studies has been examined for Ag and/or Au covered Si(111), and Pd covered Si(111) systems with film thicknesses up to several monolayers. A simple phenomenological model is introduced to analyse the observed increase in atomic displacements induced by probing He ions of 1 MeV. For the Ag and Pd cases, effects attributable to the deposited metal was small while for Au an appreciable enhancement of the beam sensitivity was observed which increases with increasing Au thickness for beam doses of ? 3.1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². The observe differences cannot be explained by the difference in mass and atomic number of the overlayer atoms. The model suggests that the chemical nature of atomic bonds near the interface affects the damage threshold energy.     

Observation of the bond-dependent Doppler broadening of the p(15N, αγ)12C nuclear reaction

Excitation curves for the p(¹⁵N, αγ)¹²C nuclear reaction have been measured on a number of hydrogen-bearing gases to investigate the bond-dependent Doppler broadening resulting from the motion of the target hydrogen atoms. Contributions to the resonance width due to the intrinsic width of the resonance, gas-induced beam energy loss and energy straggle, accelerator beam energy spread, and Doppler broadening are considered. Calculations of Doppler broadening based on molecular spectroscopy data are presented.     

Scattering of 10–30 keV H+, H2+ and H3+ from surfaces: Excited state composition and scattered H+ flux

An experimental study has been made of H and H⁺ scattering from metal surfaces under 10 to 30 keV H⁺, H₂⁺ and h₃⁺ bombardment. Light emission from the point of ion beam impact on the surface includes Doppler broadened lines from excited backscattered neutral projectiles. Slow recoils suffer radiationless de-excitation at the surface so that only fast recoils survive to emit photons; the coefficient for radiationless de-excitation is determined by analysis of the line shape. Using the measured de-excitation coefficient, we have predicted the excited backscattered flux as a function of incident projectile energy, and this agrees well with experiment. In a separate experiment we have measured directly the angular distribution of H⁺ scattered from a surface when an H⁺ beam is incident at an angle of 70° to the surface normal.     

Technical description of the CENBG nanobeam line

Two years ago, the CENBG has commissioned the AIFIRA (Application Interdisciplinaire des Faisceaux d’Ions en Aquitaine) facility for the development of an interdisciplinary research program based on a 3.5 MV Singletron^? accelerator (HVEE, The Netherlands). In addition to the existing beam lines, this facility is being equipped with a high demagnification focused beam line allowing the focusing of protons, deuterons and alpha particles down to a sub-micrometer resolution. This so-called “nanobeam line”, based on a long working distance doublet–triplet of Oxford Microbeams Ltd., OM-50^? quadrupoles, is at its final stage of development. The chosen layout of the beam line has been computed in details using the GEANT4 simulation toolkit. In the simulations, experimental measurements of the beam emittance at the entrance slits have been used to obtain more realistic beam distributions and intensities along the full beam line. According to these simulations, a beam resolution of about 300 nm in high current mode and below 100 nm in STIM mode is expected. The components of the beam line have been mounted at the 0° output of the Singletron^? switching magnet and the fine alignment will be performed using the ion beam in the coming weeks.In the present paper, all the major components of the CENBG nanobeam line are described in details.     

Effect of different ion beam energy on properties of amorphous carbon film fabricated by ion beam sputtering deposition (IBSD)

Amorphous carbon (a-C) films were fabricated by ion beam sputtering technique. The influence of sputtering ion beam energy on bonding structure, morphologic, mechanical properties, tribological properties and corrosion resistance of a-C films are investigated systematically. Morphology study shows that lowest surface roughness exists for mid-ion beam energy. Improved adhesion is observed for the films that are prepared under high ion beam energy, attributed to film graphitization, low residual stress and mixed interface. Relatively, a-C films prepared with ion beam energy of 2 keV exhibits optimum sp³ bond content, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. It is found that the wear rate of DLC films decrease with increased ion beam energy in general, consistent with the varied trend of the H/E value which has been regarded as a suitable parameter for predicting wear resistance of the coatings. The correlation of the sp³ bond fraction in the films estimated from Raman spectroscopy with residual stress, nanohardness and corrosion resistance has been established.