• Y.K. Batygin, G. Bollen, C. Campbell, F. Marti, D.J. Morrissey, G.K. Pang, S. Schwarz
  NSCL, East Lansing, Michigan

The cyclotron gas stopper is a newly proposed device to stop energetic ions in a high pressure helium gas and to transport them in a singly charged state with a gas jet to a vacuum region. Ions are injected into the region with vertical magnetic field, where they first meet a degrader and then move in helium gas. Due to multiple scattering, radioactive ions lose their energy, and the process is accompanied by ionization of helium. Externally applied voltage remove electrons and single-charged helium ions from the box. Under a certain incoming particle rate, the amount of ionized charge becomes large and cannot be removed completely. As a result, a neutralized plasma is accumulated in the center of the box and new incoming particles cannot be ejected from the field-shielded area. The present study focuses on a detailed understanding of space charge effects in the central ion extraction region. Particle-in-cell simulations of electron-helium plasma are based on self-consistent particle tracking in a field obtained from solution of Poisson’s equation for particle interacting via Coulomb forces. The paper analyzes the process and estimates the maximum possible incoming particle rate.