Enhanced H{sup {minus}} ion source testing capabilities at LANSCE

As part of the on-going beam-current upgrade in the Proton Storage Ring (PSR) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), the current available from the H{sup {minus}} injector will be increased from the present 16 to 18 mA to as much as 40 mA. A collaboration between the Ion Beam Technology Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the Ion Sources and Injectors section of LANSCE-2 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been formed to develop and evaluate a new ion source. A new Ion Source Test Stand (ISTS) has been constructed at LANSCE to evaluate candidate ion sources. The ISTS has been constructed to duplicate as closely as possible the beam transport and ancillary systems presently in use in the LANSCE H{sup {minus}} injector, while incorporating additional beam diagnostics for source testing. The construction and commissioning of the ISTS will be described, preliminary results for the proof-of-principle ion source developed by the Berkeley group will be presented, and future plans for the extension of the test stand will be presented