A Deployable 5-15MeV High Current X- band Accelerator System

A robust medical or industrial RF linear accelerator demands a high RF-to-beam efficiency due to the high cost of RF power. A high shunt impedance of the accelerator is needed to boost the RF-to-beam efficiency. One of the most sensitive parameters that affect the shunt impedance is the cavity iris radius, a; smaller a will result in a larger shunt impedance.  However, a tradeoff has to be made for high current applications (75-200 mA) in order to avoid beam breakup (BBU). In addition, to make such systems affordable, the cost of the accelerating structure needs to be significantly reduced. Euclid had developed one of the most affordable accelerator cavity designs, the so-called brazeless accelerating cavity.   In this project, we will develop and deliver an optimized X-band accelerator turn-key system, which is able to produce a pulsed electron beam with the energy tunable from 5~15 MeV and up to 155mA in-pulse current. During the Phase I of  the project, we have produced a complete linac design including RF structure, beam tracking, and engineering implementation. The mockup of a section of linac was made to validate the fabrication process. Achievement of objectives in Phase I is sufficient to move the project into the 2nd phase. In Phase II, we will fabricate and tune up the linac structures and deliver the integrated accelerator system to its installation site. High power RF conditioning, beam production, and its final characterization will be the core tasks for the final deliverable.