Initial density profile measurements using a laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic in the Paul Trap Simulator Experiment

Installation of a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) diagnostic system has been completed and initial measurements of the beam density profile have been performed on the Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX). The PTSX device is a linear Paul trap that simulates the collective processes and nonlinear transverse dynamics of an intense charged particle beam propagating through a periodic focusing quadrupole magnetic configuration. Although there are several visible transition lines for the laser excitation of barium ions, the transition from the metastable state has been considered first, mainly because a stable, operating, broadband, and high-power laser system is available for experiments in this region of the red spectrum. The LIF system is composed of a dye laser, fiber optic cables, a line generator, which uses a Powell lens, collection optics, and a CCD camera system. Single-pass mode operation of the PTSX device is employed for the initial tests of the LIF system to make optimum use of the metastable ions. By minimizing the background light level, it is expected that adequate signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained to re-construct the radial density profile of the beam ions.