[en] Radio frequency (RF) couplers are used on superconducting cavities to deliver RF power for creating accelerating fields and to remove unwanted higher-order mode power for reducing emittance growth and cryogenic load. RF couplers in superconducting applications present a number of interdisciplinary design challenges that need to be addressed, since poor performance in these devices can profoundly impact accelerator operations and the overall success of a major facility. This paper will focus on critical design issues for fundamental and higher order mode (HOM) power couplers, highlight a sampling of reliability-related problems observed in couplers, and discuss some design strategies for improving performance

[en] The objective of this report was to create a low-cost, modest-power RF coupler for a SRF spoke cavity beam test of electrons test to be done at LANL. Developing the design for this magnetically-coupled SRF spoke cavity testing coupler was basically straightforward since the cavity coupling port needed to be one of the 1.22-inch ID ports, and the power level was limited by the available RF to less than 400 W TW power. In addition, the coupler would be immersed in bath cryostat filled with liquid helium, and ultimately used in a pulsed mode to accelerate beam, thereby significantly relaxing the thermal loads on the coupler. Combining the above considerations with the level of resources available for this task, emphasis was placed on rapidly developing a robust, reliable design that would use commercially-available components as available to save design, engineering, and fabrication costs. Analysis was also kept to a minimum. As such, the design incorporates the following features: (1) Use of a commercially-available Type-N ceramic feedthrough. For the power and frequency range of the test, with the feedthrough immersed in LHe, it was felt the Type-N feedthrough would provide a robust, low-cost vacuum window solution. (2) The coupler outer conductors would be solid OFE copper that is brazed into two 2.75-inch CFF, with the cavity-sde flange being rotatable to allow minor Qx adjustments by rotating the coupler. The braze joint shown has the copper brazed into a groove in the SST to ensure maximum strength for successive thermal cyclings. The outer wall of the copper between the two flanges serves as the heat sink for depositing coupler heat to the liquid helium. (3) The inner conductor would be solid OFE copper brazed to the outer conductor at the top to ensure maximum thermal conductivity from the outer thermal sink area to the base of the feedthrough. A mass-reducing hole is placed down the center of the inner conductor to decrease thermal mass and weight. (4) This assembly would be mated to the Type-N feedthrough by pushing the pin from the feedthrough into a spring-loaded connector on the base of the inner conductor, then bolting the flanges together. (5) If the coupling needs to be greatly reduced, an additional 1/2-inch CFF can be inserted between the coupler and cavity flanges. Increasing the coupling can be done with a 3 stub tuner

[en] Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) accelerating structures present a unique design environment for the high-power radio frequency (RF) antennas that deliver power to the cavity to establish the electromagnetic fields and ultimately accelerate beam. These RF couplers need to reliably transmit high power RF with low reflection and insertion loss, while simultaneously maintaining cavity vacuum, minimizing heat leak into the cryomodule, and not adversely affecting the RF cavity or cryomodule mechanics upon cool down. While a majority of research and development (R and D) on SRF couplers have been focused on electron accelerators, advances made in high-power ion accelerator design for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (JPARC), and the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) have necessitated developing high-power RF couplers for these applications as well. This paper examines the present state of RF coupler development and R and D for superconducting ion accelerator applications

[en] Assessing superconducting technology for potential upgrades to existing proton accelerators as well as applications to future high-current machines necessitates developing expertise in the processing and handling of multicell cavities at useful frequencies. In order to address some of these technological issues, Los Alamos has purchased a 4-cell 805-MHz superconducting cavity from Siemens AG. The individual cavity cells were double-sided titanium heat-treated after equatorial welding, then the irises were welded to complete the cavity assembly. The resulting high RRR (residual resistance ratio) in the cells enables stable operation at higher cavity field levels than are possible with lower RRR material. Additionally, the high thermal conductivity of the material is conducive to rf and high peak power processing. The cavity was also cleaned at Los Alamos with high-pressure water rinsing. Results from the initial cavity tests, utilizing various processing techniques, are presented

[en] The limited cavity beam loading conditions anticipated for the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) create a situation where microphonic-induced cavity detuning dominates radio frequency (RF) coupling and RF system architecture choices in the linac design process. Where most superconducting electron and proton linacs have beam-loaded bandwidths that are comparable to or greater than typical microphonic detuning bandwidths on the cavities, the beam-loaded bandwidths for many heavy-ion species in the RIA driver linac can be as much as a factor of 10 less than the projected 80-150 Hz microphonic control window for the RF structures along the driver, making RF control problematic. While simply overcoupling the coupler to the cavity can mitigate this problem to some degree, system studies indicate that for the low-β driver linac alone, this approach may cost 50% or more than an RF system employing a voltage controlled reactance (VCX) fast tuner. An update of these system cost studies, along with the status of the VCX work being done at Lawrence Livermore National Lab is presented here

[en] We believe the Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) has possible applications as a unique high intensity neutron source when compared with conventional accelerator-driven neutron generators or ²⁵²Cf isotope-based sources. We see two possible opportunities where DPF devices could have a major impact as an alternate radiological source in comparison with conventional technology in terms of average and especially peak neutron output, and also directional neutron emission via ∼100 MV/m plasma-based acceleration gradients. Here, we briefly review DPF technology and compare it to conventional neutron generators, and present our two research prospects

[en] The limited cavity beam loading conditions anticipated for the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) create a situation where microphonic-induced cavity detuning dominates radio frequency (RF) coupling and RF system architecture choices in the linac design process. Where most superconducting electron and proton linacs have beam-loaded bandwidths that are comparable to or greater than typical microphonic detuning bandwidths on the cavities, the beam-loaded bandwidths for many heavy-ion species in the RIA driver linac can be as much as a factor of 10 less than the projected 80-150 Hz microphonic control window for the RF structures along the driver, making RF control problematic. System studies indicate that for the low-β driver linac alone, running the cavities with no fast tuner may cost 50% or more than an RF system employing a voltage controlled reactance (VCX) or other type of fast tuner. An update of these system cost studies, along with the status of the VCX work being done at Lawrence Livermore National Lab is presented

[en] The field of x-ray radiography is well established for doing non-destructive evaluation of a vast array of components, assemblies, and objects. While x-rays excel in many radiography applications, their effectiveness diminishes rapidly if the objects of interest are surrounded by thick, high-density materials that strongly attenuate photons. Due to the differences in interaction mechanisms, neutron radiography is highly effective in imaging details inside such objects. To obtain a high intensity neutron source suitable for neutron imaging a 9-MeV linear accelerator is being evaluated for putting a deuteron beam into a high-pressure deuterium gas cell. As a windowless aperture is needed to transport the beam into the gas cell, a low-emittance is needed to minimize losses along the high-energy beam transport (HEBT) and the end station. A description of the HEBT, the transport optics into the gas cell, and the requirements for the linac will be presented

No abstract available

[en] LLNL is currently engaged in the development of high-energy (10 MeV) neutron imaging technology to complement existing x-ray diagnostic tools in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) applications. Our goal is to develop and deploy a nonintrusive imaging system capable of detecting cubic-mm-scale voids, cracks or other significant structural defects in heavily-shielded low-Z materials within very thick objects. The final production-line system that we envision will be relatively compact (suitable for use in existing facilities within the DOE complex) and capable of acquiring both radiographic and tomographic (CT) images. In this paper, the design status of the high-intensity, accelerator-driven neutron source and large-format imaging detector associated with the system will be discussed and results from one recent neutron imaging experiment conducted at the Ohio University Accelerator Laboratory (OUAL) in Athens, OH will be presented