Simulation of long-distance beam propagation in the Paul trap simulator experiment

The Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) simulates the propagation of intense charged particle beams over distances of many kilometers through magnetic alternating-gradient (AG) transport systems by making use of the similarity between the transverse dynamics of particles in the two systems. One-component pure ion plasmas have been trapped that correspond to normalized intensity parameter s^=ωp2(0)/2ωq2⩽0.8, where ωp(r) is the plasma frequency and ωq is the average transverse focusing frequency in the smooth-focusing approximation. The PTSX device confines one-component cesium ion plasmas for hundreds of milliseconds, which is equivalent to beam propagation over 10 km. Results are presented for experiments in which the amplitude of the confining voltage waveform has been modified as a function of time. Recent modifications to the device are described, and both the change from a cesium ion source to a barium ion source, and the development of a laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic system are discussed.