High intensity proton beams from cyclotrons for H/sub 2//sup +/

To deliver high intensity proton beams it is proposed to accelerate H/sub 2//sup +/ by cyclotrons and to use the stripping method to extract the beam. The high binding energy of the H/sub 2//sup +/ molecule allows to use very high magnetic fields produced by superconducting magnets even at energies as high as 1 GeV/n. High beam currents are achievable with these cyclotrons as extrapolated from the experimental results obtained by H/sup -/ cyclotrons. The main advantages, i.e. easy operation, high reliability and high conversion efficiency from electrical to beam power are presented.