Scaled up Fabrication and Precision Metrology of the Corrugated Cylindrical Waveguides

Particle accelerators are used for a variety of applications, from understanding the building blocks of our universe to improving the materials we use every day. Unfortunately, generating high energy particle beams is very costly and new methods of beam acceleration are needed. Wakefield accelerators represent one potential path for low-cost accelerators, but many questions surrounding how to practically build these devices remain unanswered. Specifically, corrugated waveguides are needed with ultra-fine features which are aligned with exquisite precision over long distances. This project will examine the key manufacturing and measurement technologies associated with fabricating corrugated waveguides for collinear wakefield accelerators. To mitigate the impact of manufacturing defects, a modular manufacturing process with integrated quality control measurements is proposed. This fabrication sequence is scalable to long lengths and addresses many of the practical issues regarding installation and operation. In Phase I, we will fabricate of a single waveguide module. This will establish the main processes and measurements associated with fabricating complete corrugated waveguide assemblies. The waveguide will be destructively tested and microscopically inspected to ensure that our design fulfills the required dimensions and tolerances. This work will address the main issues with building a full-length waveguide in Phase II. Wakefield accelerators hold the promise to revolutionize high energy physics facilities and light sources by reducing the costs and expanding the capabilities of these high-gradient accelerating devices. Corrugated waveguides proposed herein, are at the heart of collinear wakefield accelerators, but could be also applied to the multitude of other beam applications, such as beam driven THz sources. This device will complement RadiaBeam extensive accelerator-based products portfolio and enable the opportunity to sell fully turn-key, flange-to-flange wakefield accelerator modules.