Eliminating flow-induced microphonics in a superfluid helium cryogenic system

Abstract

Superconducting radio frequency cavities are the devices of choice when it comes to accelerating charged particle beams in modern particle accelerators. They are held in a bath of liquid helium, to maintain their operating temperature at 2.0 K. The dimensions of these cavities are controlled within microns to facilitate operation at design conditions. During operation however, these cavities experience microphonic disturbances i.e., small mechanical deformations, that cause an undesired response in the electrical performance of the cavity. This paper proposes solutions to mitigate microphonics caused by fluid flow, particularly by the fill line into the helium bath in a 2.0 K cryogenic system. Specifically, three different systems designs are proposed, two of which dramatically reduce vapor generation and thereby its contribution to microphonics. The third design is found to completely suppress vapor generation and is explored in further detail.