Abstract:
Beam pulsing technology serves as a critical methodology in modern accelerator systems, offering substantial improvements in beam quality enhancement, time-resolved measurement capabilities, space charge effect mitigation, and operational flexibility optimization. In this paper, the low energy beam transport (LEBT) line of the proton linear accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy was taken as the research object, and the beam dynamics characteristics of its core components were systematically analyzed. In addition, in order to meet the injection requirements of the experimental terminal and the annular accelerator, the beam needs to be cut into different time structures. Based on the FPGA-based timing control system, a collaborative working architecture including a chopper and a buncher was constructed, and special designs were carried out for two working modes: the narrow pulse (100 ns) mode and the micro-pulse (10 ns) mode. The theoretical design, simulation calculation, and mechanical structure design of chopper and buncher were carried out sequentially. Dual-deflection electrode was employed by the chopper, with a working frequency of 1 MHz and a chopping voltage of 6 kV. The deflection electric field intensity was enhanced by means of inclined plates. The distance between the plates was maintained at 1.2 times the beam envelope, and the plate width was set to 1.5 times the longitudinal envelope of the beam. The minimization of capacitive load was achieved by tapering the electrode width, while the uniformity of the field intensity was improved with the inclined structure. The buncher adopted a double-drift gap structure with an external inductance coil, working at a frequency 3 times that of the chopper and with a bunching voltage of 12 kV. Due to the low working frequency and the operational constraints of electronic components, the resonant cavity structure and the AC power supply are not suitable for the generation of bunching voltage. The LC resonant circuit of buncher was employed by the matching inductance coil outside the bunching cavity, so that the buncher is enabled to work at a lower operating frequency (3 MHz) with a smaller volume structure. The entire system was controlled by the FPGA, which could avoid phase slippage caused by asynchronous triggering, guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the operation of the whole system and ensuring the accuracy of the coordinated work of each component. In this paper, the design process of the LEBT beam pulsing technology was systematically expounded. The output of the 100 ns narrow pulse mode is achieved through the innovative design of a dual-electrode electrostatic deflection chopper. An LC-distributed buncher has been developed to operate in conjunction with the chopper to achieve a 3.99 ns micro-pulse mode operation.