Experiments with space-charge-dominated beams for heavy ion fusion applications

A detailed understanding of the physics of space-charge-dominated beams is vital in the design of heavy ion inertial fusion (HIF) drivers. In that regard, low-energy, high-intensity electron beams provide an excellent model system. The University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER), currently being installed, has been designed to study the physics of space-charge-dominated beams with extreme intensity in a strong focusing lattice with dispersion. At 10 keV and 100 mA, the beam from the UMER injector has a generalized perveance as much as 0.0015, corresponding to that of proposed HIF drivers. Though compact (11 m in circumference), UMER will be a very complex device by the time of its completion (expected 2003). We present an update on the construction as well as recent experimental results.