CERN, Geneva
As part of the upgrade of the LHC injector complex at CERN, the construction of a 4 GeV Superconducting Proton Linac (the SPL, in fact an H- accelerator) is planned to begin in 2012. Depending upon physics requests, it should be upgradeable to 5 GeV and multi-MW beam power at a later stage. The construction of Linac4, its low energy front end, has started at the beginning of 2008. A full project proposal with a cost estimate for the low power version of the SPL aimed at improving LHC performance has to be ready for mid-2011. As a first step towards that goal, essential machine parameters like rf frequency, cooling temperature and beam current have recently been revisited and plans have been drawn for designing and testing critical components. The SPL parameters are reviewed in the context of the CERN plans for upgrading the LHC injectors, and the foreseen developments during the next years are described.
MEPhI, Moscow
ScanTech, Atlanta, Georgia
MSU, Moscow
Introscan, Moscow
Analysis of input coupler asymmetry influence on beam dynamics in superconducting cavities of Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) injector is presented. Both coaxial and waveguide, single and twin input couplers were analyzed. Using computer simulation electromagnetic fields distribution in accelerating cavity was obtained and recalculated to the transverse-kick to the bunch passing the coupler. Also calculation of external coupling was done. RTMTRACE code was adapted for particle beams dynamic simulation. Acceptable transverse emittance growth was achieved for twin-coaxial (4%) and waveguide (5%) input coupler designs.
TU Darmstadt, Darmstadt
Funding: Work supported by the DFG through SFB 634
After 15 years operating the S-DALINAC the design quality factor for the superconducting cavities has still not been reached. Currently, the cavities are heat treated at 850 C in an UHV furnace installed in Darmstadt three years ago. We will report about the furnace, the heat treatment procedure and the results of subsequent surface resistance measurements. Prior to the heat treatment the field flatness of some of the 20 cell elliptical cavities has been measured, leading to unexpected operational findings to be reported: operating and frequency-tuning the cavity for several years led to heavy distortions of the field flatness. This might be an indication that the frequency tuning of the cavity done by compressing the cavity longitudinally, does not act uniformly on each cell even though the cavity is only supported at the end cells. The paper will close with a status report on machine operation and modifications undertaken during the last two years.
Fermilab, Batavia
High-beta superconducting rf elliptical cavities are being developed in large numbers for several accelerator projects including the International Linear Collider (ILC). In recent years, the understanding of cavity performance limitations has improved significantly, leading to better than 40 MV/m in some cavities. However, further improvement is needed to reach reliably the 31.5 MV/m operating gradient proposed for the ILC Main Linac cavities. World-wide R&D on the cavity gradient frontier includes improved surface cleaning and smoothing treatments, development of alternative cavity shapes and materials, and novel cavity manufacturing techniques. Substantial progress has been made with diagnostic instrumentation to understand cavity performance limitations. Some highlights of the efforts in superconducting rf R&D toward achieving higher gradients in high-beta elliptical cavities are reviewed.
TRIUMF, Vancouver
The ISAC-II linac extension requires an additional 20 rf amplifiers to power twenty 141 MHz quarter wave superconducting cavities. Solid state amplifiers will be used for this extension as compared to tube amplifiers which have been employed for the existing ISAC-II linac section, operational since 2006. The amplifiers are specified to run with an output power of 600 W. The first amplifier of the production series has been tested for gain and phase linearity. Phase noise of this amplifier has been measured on a 141 MHz superconducting cavity and compared with phase noise measured with a tube amplifier. The test results and general rf, interlock and interface requirements are verified against tendered specification before series production of the remaining amplifiers can proceed. Benchmarking tests of the prototype amplifier will be reported.
DESY, Hamburg
In preparation for the series production of roughly 800 superconducting accelerating structures, several tests with an industrial-like production sequence have been tested for their accelerating gradient and quality factor. The main part of the surface preparation is being done with electropolishing. with ethanol rinse. For the two different final preparation steps namely electropolishing and etching the performance is compared. The results will be also put into the perspective of earlier cavity production cycles that were tested at DESY.
DESY, Hamburg
The removal of the Q-drop without field emission by a low temperature (app. 120C) bake procedure is essential in order to achieve the full performance in both electropolished (EP) and chemically etched (BCP) high gradient SCRF Nb accelerator cavities. A simplified procedure applying an open 120C bake out in an Argon atmosphere is presented. First results are compared to the well-established bake-out procedure under vacuum conditions.
DESY, Hamburg
The local thermal breakdown (quench) behavior of one- and nine-cell SCRF Nb accelerator cavities is investigated systematically. For more than 50 cavities, temperature mapping data have been analyzed with respect to surface preparation, Nb material etc. Results on quench location and characteristic correlations are presented.
INFN/LASA, Segrate (MI)
DESY, Hamburg
BESSY GmbH, Berlin
Cavity tuners are needed to precisely tune the narrow-band resonant frequency of superconducting cavities. The Blade Tuner presented is installed coaxially to the cavity and changes the resonator frequency by varying its length. Piezoceramic actuators add dynamic tuning capabilities, allowing fast compensation of main dynamic instabilities as Lorentz Forces, under pulsed operations, and microphonic noise. A prototype piezo Blade Tuner has been assembled on a TESLA cavity and extensively cold tested inside the horizontal cryostats CHECHIA (DESY) and HoBiCaT (BESSY). Then, as suggested by results, a few minor modifications have been implemented thus achieving the current Blade Tuner design. The introduction of thicker blades re-distributed along the circumference allows to increase its stiffness and fulfill European and American pressure vessel codes, while ensuring requested performances and cost. The paper will present the successful characterization tests performed on the prototype, the extensive mechanical analyses made to validate the final model and the results from qualification tests of first revised Blade Tuner produced, to be installed in the second module of ILCTA at FNAL.
Kyoto ICR, Uji, Kyoto
KEK, Ibaraki
Inspections of superconducting rf cavities seem essential in achieving high achieving gradient. The inspection of interior surface of a superconducting rf cavity with high enough resolution to find defects more than several tens microns is achieved by our high resolution camera system. This system revealed undiscovered defects at just inner sides of the locations predicted by passband-mode and thermometry measurements. This system will help to improve cavity fabrication processs and their yield. This system will be delivered world wide for that purpose. We are planning to widen our activity in this field: developments of new termometry system with easy installation and less cabling and high sensitivity Eddy Current Surface Inspection system for bare niobium sheets. The detailed systems and some preliminary data obtained from the systems will be presented.
JLAB, Newport News, Virginia
ODU, Norfolk, Virginia
Funding: Supported by US DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-06OR23177
In low current applications superconducting cavities have a high susceptibility to microphonics induced by external vibrations and pressure fluctuations. Due to the narrow bandwidth of the cavities, the amount of rf power required to stabilize the phase and amplitude of the cavity field is dictated by the amount of microphonics that need to be compensated. Electronic damping of microphonics is investigated as a method to reduce the level of microphonics and of the amount of rf power required. The current work presents a detailed analysis of electronic damping and of the residual cavity field amplitude and phase errors due to the fluctuations of cavity frequency and beam current.
JLAB, Newport News, Virginia
SLAC, Menlo Park, California
Funding: This manuscript has been authored by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC under U.S. DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-06OR23177.
Higher Order Modes generated by a particle beam passing through a superconducting accelerating cavity have to be damped to avoid beam instabilities. A coaxial coupler located in the beam pipes of the cavities provides for better propagation of HOMs and strong damping in appropriate HOM dampers. The whole damping device can be designed as a detachable system. If appropriately dimensioned, the rf currents can be minimized at the flange position. Additionally, the coaxial system also provides efficient coupling of fundamental mode rf power into the superconducting cavity. Compared to presently available solutions for HOM damping, this scheme provides for several advantages: stronger HOM damping, flangeable solution, exchangeability of the HOM damping device on a cavity, less complexity of the superconducting cavity, possible cost advantages. This contribution will describe the results of room temperature measurement and discuss modeling, which resulted in an optimized layout of a cavity-coupler system.
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
Funding: This work has been sponsored by ORNL-SNS. The Spallation Neutron Source is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Normally, reactive loading is employed to construct accelerating cavities in order to slow the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave. However, due to their non-uniform cross section, they tend to be difficult to machine, requiring complicated welding or brazing processes which increase the total cost. Although empty straight waveguides can only support faster-than-light propagation, empty twisted waveguides can support propagation at or below c. Because twisted structures have a uniform cross section in the transverse plane, they offer several potential advantages over dielectric loaded structures or other types of periodic structures. Of particular interest are twisted structures whose longitudinal cross section has been selected to resemble well-known accelerating structures, such as the iris-loaded accelerating structure and the TESLA type elliptical cavity. Comparisons are drawn between these conventional cavities and their twisted counterparts. Specifically, the phase velocity and dispersion relationship are discussed, the accelerating mode is found and analyzed, and R/Q is calculated. Design guidelines for the design of twisted structures are given.
LAL, Orsay
IN2P3-CNRS, Orsay
Drastic conditioning time reduction was successfully achieved for the TTF-III couplers at LAL. This was carried out by a systematic study of the different parameters that play a role in the conditioning process. Moreover, many investigations were made in order to have a better understanding of the couplers behaviour. These activities represent some aspects of a larger technology program that is being developed at LAL to study power couplers and multipacting. This paper will give an overview of some of these studies, the future experiments on couplers at LAL and the development of the associated technology program.
DESY, Hamburg
The rf stations for the FLASH linear accelerator at DESY provide rf power up to more than 5 MW, 1.3 ms and 10 Hz at 1.3 GHz for forty-eight superconducting cavities grouped into six cryogenic modules and for one normal conducting rf gun. A WR650 waveguide distribution system distributes the power generated by five active rf stations using 5 MW single beam and a 10 MW multibeam klystron to the cavities and the gun. Since FLASH is based on the Tesla Test Facility, TTF, a number of different distribution layouts for the different modules and the gun have been developed and used over the years in terms of type of components and distribution scheme. This paper presents the layout and summarizes the experience with the existing waveguide distribution system.
KEK, Ibaraki
Recently, FPGA technology is widely used for the accelerator control owing to its fast digital processing. We have been developing several applications for LLRF control and measurement using commercial and custom-made FPGA board. XtremeDSP(the commercial FPGA board equipped two ADCs and two DACs) is mainly used for the performance evaluation of STF(Superconducting RF Test Facility) LLRF. Installing the custom-made FPGA board equipped with ten ADCs and two DACs is considering for up-grade of the rf driver and rf monitoring system in the injector linac. Development of the high-speed data acquisition system that combines commercial FPGA board ML555 and FastADC(ADS5474 14bit, 400MS/s) is carried out. Result of those data acquisition systems will be summarized.
KEK, Ibaraki
In a superconducting accelerator, an FPGA/DSP-based low-level rf (LLRF) system with feedback control is adopted to satisfy the requirement of stability in the accelerating field. An rf probe signal picked up from cavity is down-converted to an intermediate frequency and sampled by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in the digital LLRF control system. In order to decrease the number of the ADCs required for vector sum feedback operation, a digital LLRF control system using different intermediate frequencies has been developed. At STF (Superconducting RF Test Facility) in KEK, the digital LLRF system with four intermediate frequencies was operated and the rf field stability under the feedback operation was estimated using a superconducting cavity. The result of the performance will be reported.
Fermilab, Batavia
Funding: FRA
In this paper we present a model for the rf power distribution to multiple super-conductive cavities from a single klystron. The goal of this model is to find a distribution scheme in which the cavities are operated as close to their quench limit as possible. The approach presented in this work consists of setting all cavities to the same QL value by adjusting the power coupler, and optimizing the power (Pk) distribution individually to each cavity to maximize the vector sum voltage. The proposed approach yields an operating gradient very close to the theoretical limit and offers a great operational benefit as the gradient stability is conserved for any beam current.
C. Nantista, K.L.F. Bane, C. Adolphsen, RF Distribution Optimization in
the Main Linacs of the ILC. Proceedings of PAC07, Albuquerque,
New Mexico, USA.