Broadband microwave emission spectrum associated with kinetic instabilities in minimum-B ECR plasmas

Abstract

Plasmas of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) are prone to kinetic instabilities due to the resonant heating mechanism resulting in anisotropic electron velocity distribution. Frequently observed periodic oscillations of extracted ion beam current in the case of high plasma heating power and/or strong magnetic field have been proven to be caused by cyclotrontype instabilities leading to a notable reduction and temporal variation of highly charged ion production. Thus, investigations of such instabilities and techniques for their suppression have become important topics in ECRIS research. The microwave emission caused by the instabilities contains information on the electron energy distribution and growth mechanism of the instability. The emission has been studied earlier in the frequency range of 8–14 GHz allowing us to deduce the probable excited mode. A more detailed study of the microwave emission spectrum of a minimum-B ECR plasma, sustained by 14 GHz microwave radiation, is presented in this work. It was found that the frequencies of the microwaves emitted by the plasma consist of several harmonics of the main band and extend from 6 GHz up to 25 GHz, being independent of the plasma parameters.