Agent Defeat using a DWA Accelerator

A new type of compact induction accelerator currently under development at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) promises to increase the average accelerating gradient by at least an order of magnitude over that of existing induction machines. The machine is based on the use of high gradient vacuum insulators and advanced dielectric materials and switches. The system, called the Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA), employs a variety of advanced technologies to achieve a very high gradient. The high gradient capability of this design implies reduced size and cost for the same energy as larger accelerator systems. Reduced size also makes possible improved system mobility, which makes this an interesting new accelerator based high energy radiation source for National Defense and Homeland Security applications. This research project will determine the effectiveness of protons accelerated in this structure with energies from ~ 5 MeV up to 250 MeV can be used to defeat bio-agents and other WMD. The information will be used to determine the optimum configuration of compact mobile DWA for defeat of WMD. The information will be used to design a prototype DWA system in the Phase II research.