Heavy ion fusion accelerator research at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Since 1983, U.S. research toward a heavy ion inertial fusion driver has concentrated on the multiple-beam ion-induction linac. This type of accelerator is unique in its ability to continuously amplify both the beam current and energy during the acceleration process. In a conceptual driver, many beams are accelerated in parallel through common induction cores in a linac that is 5-10 km long to final energies near 10 GeV in less than 0.2 msec. Past experiments at LBL have investigated the transport of intense ion beams in alternating gradient focusing structures and the acceleration of multiple ion beams with current amplification in an induction linac. At present our major project is the development of a pulsed, 2-MV injector that produces beams at full driver size and intensity. In addition, a major activity is the development of a physics and engineering design for a larger Induction Linac Systems Experiments (ILSE) to test in a scaled way almost all the manipulations needed in a full-scale driver. We hope to begin construction of this experiment near the beginning of 1995. (author)