Constructing a Microwave Camera to Explore the Behavior of ECR Ion Sources

Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Ion Sources have many useful applications including advancing cancer treatment. Observations of the governing processes in the electron population from electron cyclotron emission will inform models for simulating new beams. This research focuses on developing computer control and data acquisition for a microwave camera to image the ECR plasma. Developing a user-controlled system, interfacing with devices, and manufacturing a Digital Delay Generator (DDG) were necessary steps taken to become able to observe dominant processes in the plasma. The user-controlled system allows one to access and update configuration files of devices used for the camera. The system also interfaces with a receiver and the DDG to sweep through spans of frequencies, then plotting the data and writing it to separate files. The information from the sweeps will be used to determine achievable frame rates to inform which dynamic processes can be observed through the camera.