Ionization efficiency of a COMIC ion source equipped with a quartz plasma chamber

Increased ionization efficiencies of light noble gases and molecules are required for new physics experiments in present and future radioactive ion beam facilities. In order to improve these beams, a new COMIC-type ion source with fully quartz made plasma chamber was tested. The beam current stability is typically better than 1 % and beams are easily reproducible. The highest efficiency for xenon is about 15 %. However, the main goal is to produce molecular beam including radioactive carbon (in CO or CO2), in which case the efficiency was measured to be only about 0.2%. This paper describes the experimental prototype and its performance and provides ideas for future development. This paper is followed by the associated poster. (authors)