A fluxgate based approach for ion beam current measurement in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources beamline

Residence Time Difference fluxgate are low cost magnetic field sensors that shows interesting features in terms of sensitivity and resolution. The RTD readout strategy is known to be simple, low noisy, as well as less computationally intensive compared to traditional frequency domain readouts. For these reasons, the use of RTD-Fluxgate is a strategic choice when weak static or quasi-static magnetic fields have to be measured, especially in harsh environments where the use of more complex solutions is not permitted. This paper focuses on a preliminary analysis aimed to assess the possibility to exploit RTD Fluxgates to non-invasively measure very low ion beam currents, in the range of tens of μA, in particle accelerators beamlines. To improve performances of the measurement system a dedicated structure, able to concentrate the magnetic flux in the measurement area, is introduced. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate the possibility to exploit the proposed approach.