Simultaneous ion beam profile scan using a single laser source

We report on the world s first experiment of a parallel profile scan of the hydrogen ion (H-) beam using a laser wire system. The system was developed at the superconducting linac of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator complex. The laser wire profile scanner is based on a photo-detachment process and therefore can be conducted on an operational H- beam in a nonintrusive manner. The parallel profile scanning system makes it possible to simultaneously measure profiles of the 1-MW neutron production H- beam at 9 different locations of the linac by using a single light source. This paper describes the design, optical system and software platform development, and measurement results of the parallel profile scanning system.