Development of a polarized Helium-3 ion source for RHIC using the electron beam ion source

Abstract

This thesis presents my work on the design and development of a source of polarized Helium-3 ions for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Lab, Upton, NY. The 3He atoms will be polarized using the technique of metastability exchange optical pumping (MEOP), and will then be flowed into the newly commissioned Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS). Fully stripped 3He++ ions will be extracted and their polarizations measured at low energies before acceleration in the RHIC complex.