Speaker
Description
In this study, we investigated the feasibility of accelerating helium ions with the COLUMBUS educational cyclotron, which until now had been operated exclusively with hydrogen ions. The primary questions addressed were whether helium ions can be successfully accelerated under the existing experimental conditions, and whether He-3 ions can be detected in the beam.
These questions were first analyzed theoretically, and the resulting insights guided a series of dedicated experiments. The measurements confirmed the acceleration of all four ion species, including the rare He-3 isotope. This achievement demonstrates both the technical feasibility and the pedagogical potential of extending the COLUMBUS program to helium, thereby broadening the scope of student experiments and future workshops.
