The research and development activities of the ion source group are centered around ion sources and ion source plasmas. The group maintains and develops further the performance and capabilities of the existing ion sources of the accelerator lab, as well as designs and develops new ion source concepts. An example of the this work is the 18 GHz HIISI electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), which is currently the highest performing room-temperature ECRIS in the world. An important part of this work is the development of new ion beams and beam production techniques to extend the rance of beams that can be provided for the international user community of the accelerator laboratory.
The ion source group also performs research into the properties of ion source plasmas. As part of this, the group developes plasma diagnostics techniques to study the plasma conditions and processes through measurements of e.g. electromagnetic radiation and particle emissions.
