Disassociation of electrons from partially stripped ion beams due to strong magnetic fields

The probability of disassociating an electron from partially stripped ions in the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) is investigated. Calculation indicates that the probability for electron disassociation due to the strong external magnetic field in the AGS is very small for tightly bounded electrons. Two methods are used to estimate this effect: a one-dimensional JWKB method and an energy density approximation. Both methods yield a consistent picture to support the idea of accelerating the partially stripped ions in the AGS, which requires some upgrade in the vacuum pressure due to other processes such as electron capture and ionization.<
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