Negative hydrogen and deuterium ion production by a laser irradiation of alkali hydride/deuteride targets

The parameters of a plasma produced by irradiation of alkali hydride targets with a ruby laser pulse are experimentally measured. Positive and negative ion abundances are determined with a quadrupole mass analyzer. Electron temperature was measured with rapidly swept Langmuir probes. Negative (H-) ion temperature was obtained using the mass analyzer and focusing grids. The electron density near the target was determined by optical holography. The quantity of negative ions produced per laser pulse and the efficiency of their production make the source attractive for the future development of high energy neutral beam systems. Initial extraction experiments of H- from the source plasma are described and development of a source with a longer time duration is discussed