High Intensity Proton Accelerator

Conventional designs for the proton accelerator imply a several-hundred meter long superconducting linear accelerator for this purpose. This project will design, and demonstrate, using a small electron counterpart, a much shorter, room temperature, cyclotron accelerator to generate the proton beam. The Phase I project designed an eight-cavity version for acceleration of protons to 1 GeV. The Phase II project will build and test a small four-cavity electron counterpart accelerator to prove the underlying principle of operation and to demonstrate that effects of high space charge can be controlled. The electron counterpart cavity cyclotron experiment will be built and carried out, to assess performance and compare with predictions, especially regarding maximizing acceleration gradient and minimizing emittance growth. Analysis of proton dynamics in the accelerator and in a beam transport line will continue. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: High-intensity GeV proton beams are required for neutron production, nuclear waste transmutation, energy production in sub-critical nuclear reactors, medical proton therapy, and radioisotope production.