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In-situ proton irradiation and measurement of superconducting rf cavities under cryogenic conditions

Conference ·
OSTI ID:513549
The Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Project is investigating using a superconducting linac for the high-energy portion of the accelerator. As this accelerator would be used to accelerate a high-current (100-mA) CW proton beam up to 1700 MeV, it is important to determine the effects of stray-beam impingement on the superconducting properties of a 700-MHz niobium cavity. To accomplish this, two 3000-MHz elliptical niobium cavities were placed in a cryostat, cooled to nominally 2 K in sub-atmospheric liquid helium, and irradiated with 798-MeV protons at up to 490 {pi}A average current. The elliptically shaped beam passed through the equatorial regions of both cavities in order to maximize sensitivity to any changes in the superconducting-surface resistance. Over the course of the experiment, 6x10{sup 16} protons were passed through the cavities. After irradiation, the cavities were warmed to 250 K, then recooled to investigate the effects of a room-temperature annealing cycle on the superconducting properties of the irradiated cavities. A detailed description of the experiment and the results shall be presented. These results are important to employing superconducting-rf technology to future high-intensity proton accelerators for use in research and transmutation technologies.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
513549
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--97-1633; CONF-970503--256; ON: DE97008301
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English