Triaxial Klystron Amplifier for Advanced RF Accelerators

40682 Mission Research Corporation The next generation of radio-frequency particle colliders will require an enormous amount of microwave power, on the order of one trillion watts total, at a frequency at least four times higher than existing accelerators. Using scaled versions of existing klystrons to drive such an accelerator will require almost 10,000 individual tubes at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. This project will develop a new microwave source, the Triaxial Klystron Amplifier, capable of an order of magnitude higher power than scaled klystrons while simultaneously achieving the high efficiency, phase stability, reliability, and repetitive operation required. During Phase I, the cavity structure will be designed and numerical simulations of the beam interaction with the structure will be performed. In addition, experiments will be carried out to test the generation of a suitable electron beam in the triaxial configuration and the modulation of the beam by a cavity driven at X-band. These results will be used to design a full prototype version of the Triaxial Klystron Amplifier that will be built and tested in Phase II. Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: The Triaxial Klystron Amplifier should satisfy the stringent conditions placed upon advanced linear accelerator drivers. The commercial market for this single application is huge. Other civilian applications include chemical processing, materials studies, bulk heating, surface processing, and plasma heating. Military applications in electronic warfare and various nonlethal munitions are also possible.