Novel Materials for Higher Order Mode Suppressors

There is a need to increase the beam intensity of particle accelerators based on superconducting RF cavities, but detrimental Higher Order Modes (HOMs) generate inside the cavities. HOMs excite the beam and lead to instabilities and particle losses. HOM dampers absorb this RF power and are critical component, but next generation HOM absorber materials are needed to enable increased beam intensities. This Phase I STTR project will investigate the feasibility to demonstrate novel graphene- ceramic composite materials for use as HOM dampers. Phase II of the STTR will optimize the absorber materials and scale-up to designs ready for accelerator applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The direct benefit of this STTR project will be to enable new research in materials science and potential discoveries in basic sciences. More broadly, many efforts have been made to develop electromagnetic wave absorption materials for the use in the GHz range, and dual use commercial applications exist in EMI shielding (e.g., microwaves, cell phones hubs, radar) and potentially in electron beam welding and X-ray inspection.