The System for Control and Stabilization of the Beam Position in the Microtron MT-25 in Prague

Abstract

A method of control the beam position at crucial points of the transport system and for the stabilization of its output position has been proposed and preliminary tested. The method is based on secondary electron emission from a thin metallic wire probe induced by electrons from the 25 MeV microtron. It was demonstrated, that magnetic field of the order of 0.2 T and parallel to the wire probe in front of the orifice of the extraction channel in the acceleration space, does not prevent the functioning of the method. A strong parasitic effect of secondary electron emission from the material of the channel and its support construction was found, leading to the inversion of the electron current polarity from the wire. This effect can be to great extent eliminated by negative electric potential bias relative to the channel. At the electron output current of 1 mA the secondary emission current from the wire probe of 0.3 mm diameter is of the order of several nA. Two electromechanical systems were designed for the removal of the probes from the beam path, to avoid the deterioration of the electron beam quality by scattering. Electronic schemes used for remote measurement of small probe currents, suppressing the influence of strong electromagnetic noise, are described. For stabilization of the output beam position two wire probes situated in air close to the Al output window were used. These probes having been placed at the periphery of the beam did not deteriorate the beam quality. The difference of their emission currents was used as an error signal to control the magnetic field of the last dipole, which kept the beam in the center of the output window.