Optimized baffle and aperture placement in neutral beamlines

Most neutral beamlines contain an iron-core ion-bending magnet that requires shielding between the end of the neutralizer and this magnet. This shielding allows the gas pressure to drop prior to the beam entering the magnet and therefore reduces beam losses in this drift region. We have found that the beam losses can be reduced even further by eliminating the iron-core magnet and the magnetic shielding altogether. The required bending field can be supplied by current coils without the iron poles. In addition, placement of the baffles and apertures can affect the cold gas entering the plasma region and the losses in the neutral beam due to re-ionization. In our study we varied the placement of the baffles, which determine the amount of pumping in each chamber, and the apertures, which determine the beam loss. Our results indicate that a baffle/aperture configuration can be set for either minimum cold gas into the plasma region or minimum beam losses, but not both