The experimental results of the investigations on the influence
of external magnetic and electric fields on the characteristics
of a tungsten ion stream emitted from a plasma produced by the
Nd:glass laser (1 J, 1 ns) performed at IPPLM, Warsaw are
presented. A negatively biased target up to −15 kV and
a magnetic field up to 0.45 T were used in the experiment. A
set of ion collectors and an electrostatic cylindrical ion energy
analyzer located at small angles with respect to the laser beam
axis and at large distances from the target were applied for
ion measurements. The effect of an external magnetic field is
essential to plasma expansion, but the effect of the retarding
potential of the target is very weak in our experimental
conditions. The aim of the studies was to prove the possibility
of the optimization of ion beam parameters from laser-produced
plasma for the particular application as a laser ion source
coupled with the electron cyclotron resonance ion source for
particle accelerators.