Studies of bremsstrahlung and characteristic X-Ray lines using the VENUS ECR

Though known for their production of high currents of highly-charged ion beams, advanced electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources like VENUS at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) also generate significant numbers of x-rays. The LBNL ECR ion source group has spent many years studying the x-rays emitted from VENUS in order to gain a better understanding of the ECR plasma. Based on the emitted bremsstrahlung continuum, a spectral temperature T-s can be calculated which is a relative indication of the temperature of the plasma electrons. We will present correlations between T-s with respect to parameters such as magnetic fields. In addition to the bremsstrahlung continuum, the plasma ions emit characteristic x-rays. We will show that additional information can be gained by investigating spectral line shifts. A summary of this recent research using VENUS will be presented and discussed.