0000000000083449
AUTHOR
Walter Wuensch
High-gradient testing of an $S$-band, normal-conducting low phase velocity accelerating structure
A novel high-gradient accelerating structure with low phase velocity, $v/c=0.38$, has been designed, manufactured and high-power tested. The structure was designed and built using the methodology and technology developed for CLIC $100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ high-gradient accelerating structures, which have speed of light phase velocity, but adapts them to a structure for nonrelativistic particles. The parameters of the structure were optimized for the compact proton therapy linac project, and specifically to 76 MeV energy protons, but the type of structure opens more generally the possibility of compact low phase velocity linacs. The structure operates in S-band, is backward…
Construction and commissioning of the S-Band high gradient RF laboratory at IFIC
An S-band High-Gradient (HG) Radio Frequency (RF) laboratory is under construction and commissioning at IFIC. The purpose of the laboratory is to perform investigations of high-gradient phenomena and to develop normal-conducting RF technology, with special focus on RF systems for hadron-therapy. The layout of the facility is derived from the scheme of the Xbox-3 test facility at CERN [1] and uses medium peak-power (7.5 MW) and high repetition rate (400 Hz) klystrons, whose RF output is combined to drive two testing slots to the required power. The design and construction of the various components of the system started in 2016 and has been completed. The installation and commissioning of the…
Axion search with BabyIAXO in view of IAXO
Axions are a natural consequence of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, the most compelling solution to the strong-CP problem. Similar axion-like particles (ALPs) also appear in a number of possible extensions of the Standard Model, notably in string theories. Both axions and ALPs are very well motivated candidates for Dark Matter, and in addition, they would be copiously produced at the sun's core. A relevant effort during the last decade has been the CAST experiment at CERN, the most sensitive axion helioscope to-date. The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) is a large-scale 4th generation helioscope. As its primary physics goal, IAXO will look for solar axions or ALPs with a signal to backgro…
High-Gradient RF laboratory at IFIC for medical applications
General interest has been shown over the last years for compact and more affordable facilities for hadron-therapy. The High-Gradient (HG) know-how and technology for normal-conducting accelerating RF (Radio-Frequency) electron linac (linear accelerator) structures recently developed for projects such as CLIC (CERN), has raised the achievable accelerating gradient from 20-30 MV/m up to 100-120 MV/m. This gain has come through a better understanding of the high-power RF vacuum arcs or breakdowns (BD) phenomena, the development of quantitative HG RF design methods and refinements in fabrication techniques. This can allow for more compact linacs also for protons, which is potentially important …
High Gradient Performance of an S-Band Backward Traveling Wave Accelerating Structure for Medical Hadron Therapy Accelerators
The high-gradient performance of an accelerating structure prototype for a medical proton linac is presented. The structure was designed and built using technology developed by the CLIC collaboration and the target application is the TULIP (Turning Linac for Proton therapy) proposal developed by the TERA foundation. The special feature of this design is to produce gradient of more than 50 MV /m in low-β accelerating structures (v/c=0.38). The structure was tested in an S-band test stand at CERN. During the tests, the structure reached over above 60 MV/m at 1.2 μs pulse length and breakdown rate of about 5x10⁻⁶ bpp. The results presented include ultimate performance, long term behaviour and …
en-usConstruction and Commissioning of the S-Band High-Gradient RF Laboratory at IFIC
An S-Band High-Gradient (HG) Radio Frequency (RF) laboratory is under construction and commissioning at IFIC. The purpose of the laboratory is to perform investigations of high-gradient phenomena and to develop normal-conducting RF technology, with special focus on RF systems for hadron-therapy. The layout of the facility is derived from the scheme of the Xbox-3 test facility at CERN* and uses medium peak-power (7.5 MW) and high repetition rate (400 Hz) klystrons, whose RF output is combined to drive two testing slots to the required power. The design and construction of the various components of the system started in 2016 and has been completed. The installation and commissioning of the la…
Design of New Resonant Haloscopes in the Search for the Dark Matter Axion: A Review of the First Steps in the RADES Collaboration
This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying the Universe from Spain.
Scalable haloscopes for axion dark matter detection in the 30$\mu$eV range with RADES
RADES (Relic Axion Detector Exploratory Setup) is a project with the goal of directly searching for axion dark matter above the 30μeV scale employing custom-made microwave filters in magnetic dipole fields. Currently RADES is taking data at the LHC dipole of the CAST experiment. In the long term, the RADES cavities are envisioned to take data in the BabyIAXO magnet. In this article we report on the modelling, building and characterisation of an optimised microwave-filter design with alternating irises that exploits maximal coupling to axions while being scalable in length without suffering from mode-mixing. We develop the mathematical formalism and theoretical study which justifies the perf…
Axion Searches with Microwave Filters: the RADES project
We propose, design and construct a variant of the conventional axion haloscope concept that could be competitive in the search for dark matter axions of masses in the decade 10–100 μeV. Theses masses are located somewhat above the mass range in which existing experiments have reached sensitivity to benchmark QCD axion models. Our haloscope consists of an array of small microwave cavities connected by rectangular irises, in an arrangement commonly used in radio-frequency filters. The size of the unit cavity determines the main resonant frequency, while the possibility to connect a large number of cavities allows to reach large detection volumes. We develop the theoretical framework of the de…
Vacuum electrical breakdown conditioning study in a parallel plate electrode pulsed dc system
Conditioning of a metal structure in a high-voltage system is the progressive development of resistance to vacuum arcing over the operational life of the system. This is, for instance, seen during the initial operation of radio frequency (rf) cavities in particle accelerators. It is a relevant topic for any technology where breakdown limits performance and where conditioning continues for a significant duration of system run time. Projected future linear accelerators require structures with accelerating gradients of up to 100 MV/m. Currently, this performance level is achievable only after a multimonth conditioning period. In this work, a pulsed dc system applying voltage pulses over paral…