Design of a 400 kV deep underground, high detector efficiency, high target density, high beam intensity accelerator facility

Abstract

Thermonuclear reaction cross sections of astrophysical interest decrease exponentially with energy, approaching the level of femtobarn or less at the Gamow window. Experimental investigations of such small reaction rates in laboratories at the earth’s surface are hampered by the cosmic-ray background into detectors. For such studies, Dakota Ion Accelerator for Nuclear Astrophysics, a deep underground, high detector efficiency, high target density, high beam intensity accelerator facility is being designed. We report on a 100 mA, 400 kV accelerator design. To take into account the beam space-charge effects, advanced three-dimensional transportation calculations have been performed. These highly realistic beam calculations demonstrate that high beam currents can be transported to a gas-jet target with a diameter of few millimeters.