Design, fabrication, and testing of low-group-velocity S-band traveling-wave accelerating structure

• Published in: Nuclear science and techniques 2022-11, Vol.33 (11), p.133-143, Article 147
• Main Authors: Lin, Xian-Cai, Zha, Hao, Shi, Jia-Ru, Zhou, Liu-Yuan, Liang, Yi-Fan, Gao, Jian, Gao, Qiang, Chen, Huai-Bi, Tang, Chuan-Xiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beam Physics; Nuclear Energy; Particle Acceleration and Detection; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy
• ISSN: 1001-8042; 2210-3147
• DOI: 10.1007/s41365-022-01124-9

To implement the Tsinghua Thomson Scattering X-ray Source upgrade plan and the Very Compact Inverse Compton Scattering Gamma-ray Source (VIGAS) program, a new 1.5-m traveling-wave accelerating structure was designed to replace the old 3-m SLAC-type structure with the aim of increasing the accelerating gradient from 15 to 30 MV/m. The new type of structure works in the 3π/4 mode with a comparatively low group velocity varying from 0.007 c to 0.003 c to increase the accelerating gradient at a given power. An elliptical iris was employed to reduce the surface field enhancement. The filling process of the low-group-velocity structure was analyzed using a circuit model. After fabrication, the structure was precisely tuned using the non-contact tuning method, followed by detailed low-power radiofrequency measurements. The structure was first installed and utilized at a beamline for the terahertz experiment at Tsinghua University. After 120 h of conditioning, it is now operating at a gradient of 24.2 MV/m and a 20.7-MW input power, with the klystron operating at its full power. It is expected to generate an accelerating gradient of 30 MV/m when the klystron power is upgraded to 30 MW in the near future.