The Cryogenic Electron Beam Ion Source (Cryebis) is a plasma device designed to generate very highly-charged ions at low velocity. This makes it an excellent complement to the larger high-velocity machines in the laboratory, the Tandem and the Linac .

Cryebis consists of an electron gun that fires a space-charge-limited beam down the bore of a high-field superconducting solenoid. The solenoidal field acts to compress the electrons into the flow regime known as "Brillouin flow". Arrayed around the beam, down the bore of the solenoid are sets of cylindrical electrodes. Collisionally ionized atoms are trapped radially by the space-charge of the electron beam and axially by the fields put on the electrodes. Continuous bombardment of the trapped ions results in high charge states. When the ions have "cooked" enough, the fields on the electrodes can be ramped to expel them. The ions are magnetically analyzed and directed through a beamline switchyard to experiments.

One of those beamlines can intersect with another from the ECR source and allow unique studies of ion-ion collisions. Together, the EBIS and ECR constitute the JRM Low Energy Ion Collision Facility (LEICF).

A tutorial on Cryebis operations was created as part of our contribution to the APS Centennial celebration in March 1999.

A paper is available ( pdf, ps ) on the newest improvements made to the Cryebis.

The Cryebis/LEICF project is managed by Charles Fehrenbach.