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DOE OSTI2018

Direct measurement of the transition from edge to core power coupling in a light-ion helicon source

Here, we present time-resolved measurements of an edge-to-core power transition in a light-ion (deuterium) helicon discharge in the form of infra-red camera imaging of a thin stainless steel target plate on the Proto-Material Exposure eXperiment device. The time-resolved images measure the two-dimensional distribution of power deposition in the helicon discharge. The discharge displays a mode transition characterized by a significant increase in the on-axis electron density and core power coupling, suppression of edge power coupling, and the formation of a fast-wave radial eigenmode. Although the self-consistent mechanism that drives this transition is not yet understood, the edge-to-core power transition displays characteristics that are consistent with the discharge entering a slow-wave anti-resonant regime. RF magnetic field measurements made across the plasma column, together with the power deposition results, provide direct evidence to support the suppression of the slow-wave in favor of core plasma production by the fast-wave in a light-ion helicon source.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Cryogenic testing of the 2.1 GHz five-cell superconducting RF cavity with a photonic band gap coupler cell

We present results from cryogenic tests of the multi-cell superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity with a photonic band gap (PBG) coupler cell. Achieving high average beam currents is particularly desirable for future light sources and particle colliders based on SRF energy-recovery-linacs (ERLs). Beam current in ERLs is limited by the beam break-up instability, caused by parasitic higher order modes (HOMs) interacting with the beam in accelerating cavities. A PBG cell incorporated in an accelerating cavity can reduce the negative effect of HOMs by providing a frequency selective damping mechanism, thus allowing significantly higher beam currents. The multi-cell cavity was designed and fabricated of niobium. Two cryogenic (vertical) tests were conducted. The high unloaded Q-factor was demonstrated at a temperature of 4.2 K at accelerating gradients up to 3 MV/m. The measured value of the unloaded Q-factor was 1.55 × 10 8 , in agreement with prediction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2018

Cryogenic testing of the 2.1 GHz five-cell superconducting RF cavity with a photonic band gap coupler cell

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2014

A Self-Biasing Pulsed Depressed Collector

Depressed collectors have been utilized successfully for many years to improve the electrical efficiency of vacuum electron devices. Increasingly, pulsed, high-peak power accelerator applications are placing a premium on electrical efficiency. As RF systems are responsible for a large percentage of the overall energy usage at accelerator laboratories, methods to improve upon the state-of-the-art in pulsed high-power sources are desired. This paper presents a technique for self-biasing the stages in a multistage depressed collector. With this technique, the energy lost during the rise and fall times of the pulse can be recovered, separate power supplies are not needed, and existing modulators can be retrofitted. Calculations show that significant cost savings can be realized with the implementation of this device in high-power systems. In this paper, the technique is described along with experimental demonstration. (auth)

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS1983

Electron beam charging and arc discharging of spacecraft insulating materials

Samples of Mylar and Teflon film were exposed to combinations of monoenergetic electron and lithium ion fluxes in various ratios. The samples' discharge rates and strengths were found to diminish as the ion proportion increased. Various types of capacitors were exposed in air to beta irradiation from a 100 mCie Strontium-90 radioisotope source located at distances ranging from 2 cm to 5 cm from the capacitors. In these preliminary experiments, no evidence of spontaneous electrical breakdown was noted, nor was any change in RF impedance detectable using the available instrumentation. A decrease in DC resistance was noted, apparently due to radiation-induced conductivity. A cylindrical glass vacuum chamber is being assembled. Its inside dimensions are 44 cm diameter by 100 cm length. All necessary associated components and instruments have been acquired, including electron and ion guns, Trek surface potential probe and turbo-molecular pump. A mass-spectrometer detector for leaks and evolved gases will be ordered shortly.

Balmain, K. G.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Developments in Fullerene Ion Propulsion Research

Several reports of successful operation of DC discharges using fullerene vapor have been made. However, degradation of the propellant molecules in the vapor source and in contact with the filament cathode was observed in each case. Because disintegration of the fullerene cage could result in poor performance or thruster failure, we have developed an RF ion thruster for use with C 60 propellant to avoid the presence of electrodes inside the discharge chamber. Also, we conducted a series of experiments to ascertain the stability of fullerenes at high temperatures. We find that when C 60 and C 70 are maintained at temperatures above 1073 K, or are exposed to hot metal surfaces, significant degradation occurs. We find an activation energy of 261.5 kJ/mol for this process. At temperatures below 873 K, no breakdown of fullerenes can be detected, even after heating for 6 hours. The effect of these findings on C 60 ion thruster design is discussed.

fullerenes↗

DOE OSTI2020

3D full wave fast wave modeling with realistic antenna geometry and SOL plasma

This paper reports the significant advancement of our ability to model and to understand how RF waves interact with the SOL plasma, by simulating the full torus 3D SOL plasma together with the antenna and core plasma. We introduce and use a recently developed and open source code, Petra-M, which was constructed on the scalable MFEM C++ finite element library, and performed 3D full wave simulations in the HHFW regime for both NSTX-U and LAPD plasmas. A first full wave simulation for a full 3D torus including a realistic antenna geometry and SOL plasma region for NSTX-U is presented. A scan of the antenna phasing shows a strong interaction between FWs and the SOL plasma for lower antenna phasing, which is consistent with previous NSTX HHFW observations. The effect of the 3D wave field on the fast ion population from NBI beams in NSTX-U is also discussed by using the 3D field obtained from the Petra-M simulations in the full-orbit following particle SPIRAL code. On LAPD, 3D full wave simulations of a new HHFW 4-strap antenna recently installed by TAE Technologies on LAPD are performed showing a qualitative agreement with experimental data.

Bertelli, Nicola↗

DOE OSTI2021

High Power Superconducting Electron Linear Accelerators For Industrial Application

Fermilab is executing a technology development program to develop a compact yet powerful electron accelerator. We are leveraging R&D breakthroughs in SRF cavities, cost-effective radio-frequency sources, modern cryo-coolers, and high average current electron guns. We show that a single accelerator module can deliver average beam power as high as 1 MW through detailed thermal, RF, and particle simulations.

Thangaraj, Jayakar Tobin↗

DOE OSTI2014

Theory of factors limiting high gradient operation of warm accelerating structures

This report consists of two parts. In the first part we describe a study of the heating of microprotrusions on surfaces of accelerating structures. This ;process is believed to lead to breakdown in these structures. Our study revealed that for current accelerator parameters melting should not occur due to space charge limitations of the current emitted by a protrusion. The second part describes a novel concept to develop THz range sources based on harmonic cyclotron masers for driving future colliders. This work was stimulated by a recent request of SLAC to develop high power, high-efficiency sources of sub-THz radiation for future high-gradient accelerators.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS1972

Interferometer using RF switching matrix

Radio frequency switching technique for single receiver and data processing channel to be used for phase movement measurement is discussed. Components of interferometer radio frequency unit, X-band receiver, and interferometer data processing unit are illustrated. Elimination of major measurement error source is described.

Vanvleet, R. N.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Machine Learning Downscaling of SoilMERGE in the United States Southern Great Plains

SoilMERGE (SMERGE) is a root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) product that covers the entire continental United States and spans 1978 to 2019. Machine learning techniques, Random Forest (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Gradient Boost (GBoost) downscaled SMERGE to spatial resolutions straddling the field scale domain (100 to 3000 m). Study area was northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. The coarse resolution of SMERGE (0.125 degree) limits this product’s utility. To validate downscaled results in situ data from four sources were used that included: United States Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observatory, United States Climate Reference Network (USCRN), Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN), and Soil moisture Sensing Controller and oPtimal Estimator (SoilSCAPE). In addition, RZSM retrievals from NASA’s Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Surface (AirMOSS) campaign provided a nearly spatially continuous comparison. Three periods were examined: era 1 (2016 to 2019), era 2 (2012 to 2015), and era 3 (2003 to 2007). During eras 1 and 2, RF outperformed XGBoost and GBoost, whereas during era 3 no model dominated. Performance was better during eras 1 and 2 as opposed to the pre-L band era 3. Improvements across all eras, regions, and models realized from downscaling included an increase in correlation from 0.03 to 0.42 and a decrease in ub RMSE from -0.0005 to -0.0118 m 3 /m 3 . This study demonstrates the feasibility of SMERGE downscaling opening the prospect for the development of a long-term RZSM dataset at a more desirable field-scale resolution with the potential to support diverse hydrometeorological and agricultural applications.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2014

Experimental Evaluation and Optimization of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations for Ion Mobility Spectrometry with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

We report on the performance of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation (SLIM) devices as a means for transmitting ions and performing ion mobility separations (IMS). Ions were successfully transferred from an electrospray ionization (ESI) source to the TOF MS analyzer by means of a linear SLIM device and an alternative arrangement including a 90° turn. First, the linear geometry was optimized for radial confinement by tuning RF on the central ‘rung’ electrodes and potentials on the DC-only guard electrodes. Selecting an appropriate DC guard bias (2-6 V) and RF amplitude (≥160 Vp-p at 750 kHz) resulted in the greatest ion intensities. Close to ideal IMS resolving power was maintained over a range of applied voltages. Second, the 90° turn was optimized for radial confinement by tuning the RF on the rung electrodes and DC on the guard electrodes; however, both resolving power and ion transmission showed a dependence on these voltages and the best conditions for both were > 300 Vp-p RF (685 kHz) and 7-11 V guard DC bias. Both geometries provide IMS resolving powers at the theoretical limit (R~58), showing that the negative “racetrack” effect from turning around a corner can be successfully avoided, as well as the capability for essentially lossless ion transmission.

conveyor↗

DOE OSTI2013

High yield neutron generators using the DD reaction

A product line of high yield neutron generators has been developed at Adelphi technology inc. The generators use the D-D fusion reaction and are driven by an ion beam supplied by a microwave ion source. Yields of up to 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} n/s have been achieved, which are comparable to those obtained using the more efficient D-T reaction. The microwave-driven plasma uses the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to produce a high plasma density for high current and high atomic ion species. These generators have an actively pumped vacuum system that allows operation at reduced pressure in the target chamber, increasing the overall system reliability. Since no radioactive tritium is used, the generators can be easily serviced, and components can be easily replaced, providing essentially an unlimited lifetime. Fast neutron source size can be adjusted by selecting the aperture and target geometries according to customer specifications. Pulsed and continuous operation has been demonstrated. Minimum pulse lengths of 50 {mu}s have been achieved. Since the generators are easily serviceable, they offer a long lifetime neutron generator for laboratories and commercial systems requiring continuous operation. Several of the generators have been enclosed in radiation shielding/moderator structures designed for customer specifications. These generators have been proven to be useful for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and fast neutron radiography. Thus these generators make excellent fast, epithermal and thermal neutron sources for laboratories and industrial applications that require neutrons with safe operation, small footprint, low cost and small regulatory burden.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Characteristics of radio-frequency atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharge with dielectric electrodes

An experimental investigation to characterize the properties and highlight the benefits of atmospheric pressure radio-frequency dielectric-barrier discharge (rf DBD) with dielectric electrodes fabricated by anodizing aluminium substrate is presented. The current-voltage characteristics and millisecond images are used to distinguish the α and γ modes. This atmospheric rf DBD is observed to retain the discharge volume without constriction in γ mode. Optical emission spectroscopy demonstrates that the large discharge current leads to more abundant reactive species in this plasma source.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

Coherent Effects of High Current Beam in Project-X Linac

Resonance excitation of longitudinal high order modes in superconducting RF structures of Project-X continuous wave linac is studied. We analyze regimes of operation of the linac with high beam current, which can be used to provide an intense muon source for the future Neutrino Factory or Muon Collider, and also important for the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical systems. We calculate power loss and associated heat load to the cryogenic system. Longitudinal emittance growth is estimated. We consider an alternative design of the elliptical cavity for the high energy part of the linac, which is more suitable for high current operation.

HEP↗

DOE OSTI2013

Coherent Effects of High Current Beam in Project-X Linac

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Wakefield Calculations for the LCLS in Multbunch Operation

Normally the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) operates in single-bunch mode, sending a bunch of up to 250 pC charge at 120 Hz through the linac and the undulator, and the resulting FEL radiation into one of the experimental hutches. With two bunches per rf pulse, each pulse could feed either two experiments or one experiment in a pump-probe type configuration. Two-bunch FEL operation has already been briefly tested at the LCLS, and works reasonably well, although not yet routinely. In this report we study the longitudinal and transverse long-range (bunch-to-bunch) wakefields of the linacs and their effects on LCLS performance in two-bunch mode, which is initially the most likely scenario. The longitudinal wake changes the average energy at the second bunch, and the transverse wake misaligns the second bunch (in transverse phase space) in the presence of e.g. transverse injection jitter or quad misalignments. Finally, we extend the study to consider the LCLS with trains of up to 20 bunches per rf pulse. In the LCLS the bunch is created in an rf gun, and then passes in sequence through Linac 0, Linac 1, Linac X, Bunch Compressor 1 (BC 1), Linac 2, BC 2, Linac 3, and finally the undulator. In the process the bunch energy reaches 13.5 GeV and peak current 3 kA. In Table 1 we present some machine and beam parameters in three of the linacs that we will use in the calculations: initial beam energy E{sub 0}, total accelerator length L, average beta function {beta}{sub y}, bunch peak current I, and rf phase (with respect to crest) {phi}; the final energy of a linac equals E{sub 0} of the following linac, and in Linac 3 is E{sub f} = 13.5 GeV. (The X-band linac, with L = 60 cm, has wake effects that are small compared to the other linacs, and will not be discussed.) In this report we limit our study to trains of equally populated, equally spaced bunches with a total length of less than 100 ns. The charge of each bunch is eN{sub b} = 250 pC.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Simulation study of high-current 7 Li 3+ beam acceleration with laser ion source and RFQ linac using direct plasma injection

Accelerator-based neutron sources (ABNS) utilizing the 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be reaction in inverse kinematics offer strong forward-directed neutron emission, making them attractive for compact and clean neutron source with low background neutrons and unwanted radiation. However, practical use of such systems requires lithium ion beam currents that exceed the capability of conventional ion accelerators by two orders of magnitude. In this study, we numerically designed and evaluated a high-current acceleration system based on a direct plasma injection scheme (DPIS), combining a laser ion source (LIS) and a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. The ion extraction optics and RFQ entrance were optimized using IGUN, OPERA, and GPT, demonstrating that over 1.2 A-class beam current can be injected into the RFQ. The RFQ structure was designed under realistic engineering constraints including surface field strength (Kilpatrick factor) and RF power. GPT simulations showed that a 370 mA 7 Li 3+ beam can be successfully accelerated within a ±10 % energy spread. To validate downstream compatibility, we also designed a simplified medium-energy beam transport (MEBT) section and an interdigital H-type (IH) linac, confirming successful acceleration of a 320 mA beam to the total energy of 14 MeV. These results support the feasibility of the DPIS and RFQ approach as a promising solution for compact neutron sources and other high-intensity ion beam applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗