Design of a 11.4GHz, 150-MW, Sheet Beam, PPM-Focused Klystron
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Here, we present the first demonstration of high-power, reversed-Cherenkov wakefield radiation by electron bunches passing through a metamaterial structure. The structure supports a fundamental transverse magnetic mode with a negative group velocity leading to reversed-Cherenkov radiation, which was clearly verified in the experiments. Single 45 nC electron bunches of 65 MeV traversing the structure generated up to 25 MW in 2 ns pulses at 11.4 GHz, in excellent agreement with theory. Two bunches of 85 nC with appropriate temporal spacing generated up to 80 MW by coherent wakefield superposition, the highest rf power that metamaterial structures ever experienced without damage. These results demonstrate the unique features of metamaterial structures that are very attractive for future high-gradient wakefield accelerators, including two-beam and collinear accelerators. Advantages include the high shunt impedance for high-power generation and high-gradient acceleration, the simple and rugged structure, and a large parameter space for optimization.
The objective of this 3-year program is to study the physics issues associated with rf acceleration in dielectric-loaded accelerating (DLA) structures, with a focus on the key issue of multipactor loading, which has been found to cause very significant rf power loss in DLA structures whenever the rf pulsewidth exceeds the multipactor risetime (~10 ns). The experiments are carried out in the X-band magnicon laboratory at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Euclid Techlabs LLC, who develop the test structures with support from the DoE SBIR program. There are two main elements in the research program: (1) high-power tests of DLA structures using the magnicon output (20 MW @11.4 GHz), and (2) tests of electron acceleration in DLA structures using relativistic electrons from a compact X-band accelerator. The work during this period has focused on a study of the use of an axial magnetic field to suppress multipactor in DLA structures, with several new high power tests carried out at NRL, and on preparation of the accelerator for the electron acceleration experiments.
Doped manganites have attracted substantial interest due to their unique chemical and physics properties, which makes it possible to be used for microwave absorbing materials. In this paper we report synthesizes and characterization of La{sub 0.67}Ba{sub 0.33}Mn{sub 0.94}Ti{sub 0.06}O{sub 3} powders prepared by mechanical alloying with the assistance of a high power ultrasonic treatment. After solid state reaction, the presence of single phase was confirmed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Refinement results showed that samples are single phase with monoclinic structure. It was found that powder materials derived from mechanical alloying results in large variation in the particle size. A significant improvement was obtained upon subjecting the mechanically milled powder materials to an ultrasonication treatment for a relatively short period of time. As determined by particle size analyzer (PSA), the mean particle size gradually decreased from the original size of 5.02 µm to 0.36 µm. Magnetic properties were characterized by VSM, and hysteresis loops results showed that samples are soft magnetic. It was found that when the mean particle size decreases, saturation was increases and coersitivity was decreases. Microwave absorption properties were investigated in the frequency range of 8-12 GHz using vector network analyzer. An optimal reflection loss of 24.44 dB is reached at 11.4 GHz.
With the growing demand for FEL light sources, cost issues are being reevaluated. To make the machines more compact, higher frequency room temperature linacs are being considered, specifically ones using C-band (5.7 GHz) rf technology, for which 40 MV/m gradients are achievable. In this paper, we show that an X-band (11.4 GHz) linac using the technology developed for NLC/GLC can provide an even lower cost solution. In particular, stable operation is possible at gradients of 100 MV/m for single bunch operation and 70 MV/m for multibunch operation. The concern, of course, is whether the stronger wakefields will lead to unacceptable emittance dilution. However, we show that the small emittances produced in a 250 MeV, low bunch charge, LCLS-like S-band injector and bunch compressor can be preserved in a multi-GeV X-band linac with reasonable alignment tolerances. The successful lasing and operation of the LCLS [1] has generated world-wide interest in X-ray FELs. The demand for access to such a light source by researchers eager to harness the capabilities of this new tool far exceeds the numbers that can be accommodated, spurring plans for additional facilities. Along with cost, spatial considerations become increasingly important for a hard X-ray machine driven by a multi-GeV linac. The consequent need for high acceleration gradient focuses attention on higher frequency normal conducting accelerator technology, rather than the superconducting technology of a soft X-ray facility like FLASH. C-band technology, such as used by Spring-8, is a popular option, capable of providing 40 MV/m. However, more than a decade of R&D toward an X-band linear collider, centered at SLAC and KEK, has demonstrated that this frequency option can extend the gradient reach to the 70-100 MV/m range. The following design and beam dynamics calculations show an X-band linac to be an attractive choice on which to base an X-ray FEL.
Several linac driven X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) are being developed to provide high brightness photon beams with very short, tunable wavelengths. In this paper, three XFEL configurations are proposed that achieve LCLS-like performance using X-band linac drivers. These linacs are more versatile, efficient and compact than ones using S-band or C-band rf technology. For each of the designs, the overall accelerator layout and the shaping of the bunch longitudinal phase space are described briefly. During the last 40 years, the photon wavelengths from linac driven FELs have been pushed shorter by increasing the electron beam energy and adopting shorter period undulators. Recently, the wavelengths have reached the X-ray range, with FLASH (Free-Electron Laser in Hamburg) and LCLS (Linac Coherent Light Source) successfully providing users with soft and hard X-rays, respectively. FLASH uses a 1.2 GeV L-band (1.3 GHz) superconducting linac driver and can deliver 10-70 fs FWHM long photon pulses in a wavelength range of 44 nm to 4.1 nm. LCLS uses the last third of the SLAC 3 km S-band (2.856 GHz) normal-conducting linac to produce 3.5 GeV to 15 GeV bunches to generate soft and hard X-rays with good spatial coherence at wavelengths from 2.2 nm to 0.12 nm. Newer XFELs (at Spring8 and PSI) use C-band (5.7 GHz) normal-conducting linac drivers, which can sustain higher acceleration gradients, and hence shorten the linac length, and are more efficient at converting rf energy to bunch energy. The X-band (11.4 GHz) rf technology developed for NLC/GLC offers even higher gradients and efficiencies, and the shorter rf wavelength allows more versatility in longitudinal bunch phase space compression and manipulation. In the following sections, three different configurations of X-band linac driven XFELs are described that operate from 6 to 14 GeV. The first (LOW CHARGE DESIGN) has an electron bunch charge of only 10 pC; the second (OPTICS LINEARIZATION DESIGN) is based on optics linearization of the longitudinal phase space in the first stage bunch compressor and can operate with either a high (250 pC) or low (20 pC) bunch charge; and the third (LCLS INJECTOR DESIGN) is similar to LCLS but uses an X-band linac after the first stage bunch compressor at 250 MeV to achieve a final beam energy up to 14 GeV. Compared with LCLS, these X-band linacs are at least a factor of three shorter.
This is a report on the MIT High Gradient Accelerator Research program which has included: Operation of the 17 GHz, 25 MeV MIT/Haimson Research Corp. electron accelerator at MIT, the highest frequency, stand-alone accelerator in the world; collaboration with members of the US High Gradient Collaboration, including the design and test of novel structures at SLAC at 11.4 GHz; the design, construction and testing of photonic bandgap structures, including metallic and dielectric structures; the investigation of the wakefields in novel structures; and the training of the next generation of graduate students and postdoctoral associates in accelerator physics.
Magnesium diboride (MgB2) coating is a potential candidate to replace bulk niobium (Nb) for superconducting radio frequency cavities due to the appealing superconducting properties of MgB2. MgB2 coating on copper may allow cavity operation near 20–25 K as a result of the high transition temperature (T c) of MgB2 and excellent thermal conductivity of Cu. We have grown MgB2 films on 2 inch diameter Cu discs by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition for radio frequency characterization. Structural and elemental analyses showed a uniform MgB2 coating on top of a Mg–Cu alloy layer with occasional intrusion of Mg–Cu alloy regions. High T c values of around 37 K and high critical current density (J c) on the order of 107 A cm-2 at zero field were observed. Radio frequency measurements at 11.4 GHz confirmed a high T c and showed a quality factor (Q 0) much higher than for Cu and close to that of Nb.
Magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ) is a promising candidate material for superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavities because of its higher transition temperature and critical field compared with niobium. To meet the demand of RF test devices, the fabrication of large-area MgB 2 films on metal substrates is needed. Here, in this work, high quality MgB 2 films with 50 mm diameter were fabricated on niobium by using an improved HPCVD system at Peking University, and RF tests were carried out at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The transition temperature is approximately 39.6 K and the RF surface resistance is about 120 μΩ at 4 K and 11.4 GHz. Finally, the fabrication processes, surface morphology, DC superconducting properties and RF tests of these large-area MgB 2 films are presented.
We present the first demonstration of high-power, reversed Cherenkov wakefield radiation by electron bunches passing through a metamaterial structure. The structure supports a fundamental TM-like mode with a negative group velocity leading to reversed Cherenkov radiation, which was clearly verified in the experiments. Single 45 nC electron bunches of 65 MeV traversing the structure generated up to 25 MW in 2 ns pulses at 11.4 GHz, in excellent agreement with theory. Two bunches of 85 nC with appropriate temporal spacing generated up to 80 MW by coherent wakefield superposition, the highest RF power that metamaterial structures ever experienced without damage. These results demonstrate the unique features of metamaterial structures that are very attractive for future high-gradient, wakefield accelerators, including two-beam and collinear accelerators. Advantages include the high shunt impedance for high power generation and high gradient acceleration; the simple and rugged structure; and a large parameter space for optimization.
We report the results of ongoing high power tests of single-cell standing wave structures. These tests are part of an experimental and theoretical study of rf breakdown in normal conducting structures at 11.4 GHz. The goal of this study is to determine the maximum gradient possibilities for normal-conducting rf powered particle beam accelerators. The test setup consists of reusable mode launchers and short test structures powered by SLACs XL-4 klystron. The mode launchers and structures were manufactured at SLAC and KEK and tested at the SLAC klystron test laboratory.
Superconducting RF technology is becoming more and more important. With some recent cavity test results showing close to or even higher than the critical magnetic field of 170-180 mT that had been considered a limit, it is very important to develop a way to correctly measure the critical magnetic field (H{sup RF}{sub c}) of superconductors in the RF regime. Using a 11.4 GHz, 50-MW, <1 {mu}s, pulsed power source and a TE013-like mode copper cavity, we have been measuring critical magnetic fields of superconductors for accelerator cavity applications. This device can eliminate both thermal and field emission effects due to a short pulse and no electric field at the sample surface. A model of the system is presented in this paper along with a discussion of preliminary experimental data.
As proposed by SLAC, the efficiency of a pulse compressor of the SLED-II type could be increased by changing both the phase of the microwave source and the coupling coefficient of the delay line. In the existing SLED-II system at frequency 11.4 GHz, the resonant delay line is coupled with the source via an iris with a constant reflection coefficient. Replacement of the iris with an active component makes it possible to create an active SLED-II system. In this paper, the use of plasma switches as the active elements is discussed. Plasma switches have been developed and tested at a high-power level for production of flattop compressed pulses. Active switching of SLED-II has demonstrated a marked increase in efficiency (by 20%) and power gain (by 37%) as compared with passive switching. The active compressor has produced 173 ns rf flattop output pulses with a power of about 112 MW.
Our experiments are directed toward the understanding of the physics of rf breakdown in systems that can be used to accelerate electron beams at {approx}11.4 GHz. The structure geometries have apertures, stored energy per cell, and rf pulse duration close to that of the NLC or CLIC. The breakdown rate is the main parameter that we use to compare rf breakdown behavior for different structures at a given set of rf pulse parameters (pulse shape and peak power) at 60 Hz repetition rate. In our experiments, the typical range of the breakdown rate is from one per few hours to {approx}100 per hour. To date we have tested 29 structures. We consistently found that after the initial conditioning, the behavior of the breakdown rate is reproducible for structures of the same geometry and material, and the breakdown rate dependence on peak magnetic fields is stronger than on peak surface electric fields for structures of different geometries. Below we report the main results from tests of seven structures made from hard copper, soft copper alloys and hard-copper alloys. Additional details on these and other structures will be discussed in future publications.
We present ultradeep radio observations with the Expanded Very Large Array of 4U 1957+11, a Galactic black hole (BH) candidate X-ray binary known to exist in a persistent soft X-ray state. We derive a stringent upper limit of 11.4 {mu}Jy beam{sup -1} (3{sigma}) at 5-7 GHz, which provides the most rigorous upper limit to date on the presence of jets in a soft state BH X-ray binary (BHXB). X-ray, UV, and optical fluxes obtained within a few weeks of the radio data can be explained by thermal emission from the disk. At this X-ray luminosity, a hard state BHXB that follows the established empirical radio-X-ray correlation would be at least 330-810 times brighter at radio frequencies, depending on the distance to 4U 1957+11. This jet quenching of >2.5 orders of magnitude is greater than some models predict and implies that the jets are prevented from being launched altogether in the soft state. 4U 1957+11 is also more than one order of magnitude fainter than the faintest of the 'radio-quiet' population of hard state BHs. In addition, we show that, on average, soft state stellar-mass BHs probably have fainter jets than most active galactic nuclei in a state equivalent to the soft state. These results have implications for the conditions required for powerful, relativistic jets to form and provide a new empirical constraint for time- and accretion mode-dependent jet models, furthering our understanding of jet production and accretion onto BHs.
We present the detection of the compact radio structures of 14 radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies from Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations at 5 GHz performed in 2013. While 50% of the sources of our sample show a compact core only, the remaining 50% exhibit a core-jet structure. The measured brightness temperatures of the cores range from 10{sup 8.4} to 10{sup 11.4} K with a median value of 10{sup 10.1} K, indicating that the radio emission is from non-thermal jets, and that, likely, most sources are not strongly beamed, thus implying a low jet speed in these radio-loud NLS1 galaxies. In combination with archival data taken at multiple frequencies, we find that seven sources show flat or even inverted radio spectra, while steep spectra are revealed in the remaining seven objects. Although all of these sources are very radio-loud with R > 100, their jet properties are diverse in terms of their milliarcsecond (mas) scale (parsec scale) morphology and their overall radio spectral shape. The evidence for slow jet speeds (i.e., less relativistic jets), in combination with the low kinetic/radio power, may offer an explanation for the compact VLBA radio structure in most sources. The mildly relativistic jets in these high accretion rate systems are consistent with a scenario where jets are accelerated from the hot corona above the disk by the magnetic field and the radiation force of the accretion disk. Alternatively, a low jet bulk velocity can be explained by low spin in the Blandford–Znajek mechanism.