Injection of intense low-energy reactor-based positron beams into a supported magnetic dipole trap

Abstract

An increased low-energy positron flux is obtained from the reactor based NEPOMUC source when using its primary beam at energies as low as 20 eV. First experiments with this beam in a supported magnetic dipole trap resulted in the maximum current of injected positrons to date. According to single-particle simulations, remaining limitations in the injection efficiency, observed in the experiment, can be attributed to the spatial spread of the beam. In the first trapping measurements with this beam, top-down asymmetries in the electrostatic trapping potential are found to be detrimental to confinement.