Upgrading the LANSCE accelerator with a SNS RF-driven H ion source.

The LANSCE accelerator is currently powered by a filament-driven, biased converter-type H ion source that operates at 10%, the highest plasma duty factor for this type of source, using only ∼2.2 SCCM of H. The ion source needs to be replaced every 4 weeks, which takes up to 4 days.