Status of the CO2 laser ion source at CERN

A laser ion source using a CO2 laser focused onto a solid target is under study at CERN for the production of high currents of highly charged heavy ions, for possible use in the preinjector for the large hadron collider. A new expansion and extraction layout was installed in this test facility, improving the alignment and making the target to extraction distance more flexible. A two solenoid beam transport system was studied for providing the matching of the beam to a radio-frequency quadrupole. An electrostatic beam transport using gridded electrostatic lenses was designed and constructed as an alternative to a magnetic system. Results show an increased overall current transmission for the electrostatic case. Investigation of the laser parameters required for the production of 1.4x10(10) Pb25+ ions in a 5 mu s pulse, has been performed using the TIR-1 laser facility at power densities up to 10(14) W cm(-2) for a focal spot size of 65 mu m. The results of the latest scaling are presented. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)53102-5].