Cornell University (CLASSE), Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Ithaca, New York, USA
Surface roughness of current Niobium-3 Tin (Nb3Sn) superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerator cavities can cause enhancement of the surface magnetic field. This enhancement can push the surface magnetic field beyond the critical field, which, if it occurs over a large enough area, can cause the cavity to quench. This paper presents simulations of the surface magnetic field enhancements in SRF cavities caused by the surface roughness of current Cornell Nb3Sn cavities, which have achieved record efficiency. Simple, smooth cavity geometry is defined and surface magnetic fields calculated using SLANS2. The cavity geometry is modified with a small rough region for which the geometry is determined from AFM scans of a Nb3Sn coated sample and the surface fields are calculated again. The calculated surface fields of the smooth and rough cavities are compared to determine the extent of the field enhancement, the area over which the enhancement is significant, and which surface features cause large field enhancement. We find that 1% of the surface analyzed has fields enhance by more than 45%. On average the Q-factor is increased by (3.8 ± 1.0) \%.
Cornell University (CLASSE), Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Ithaca, New York, USA
A 1.3 GHz ILC-shape single-cell Nb3Sn cavity fabricated at Cornell has shown record performance, exceeding the cryogenic efficiency of niobium cavities at the gradients and quality factors demanded by some contemporary accelerator designs. An optimisation of the coating process has resulted in more cavities of the same design that achieve similar performance, proving the reproducibility of the method. In this paper, we discuss the current limitations on the peak accelerating gradients achieved by these cavities. In particular, high-pulsed-power RF testing, and thermometry mapping of the cavity during CW operation, are used to draw conclusions regarding the nature of the quench limitation. In light of these promising results, the feasibility and utility of applying the current state of the technology to a real-life application is discussed.
