Understanding Quality Factor Degradation in Superconducting Niobium Cavities at Low Microwave Field Amplitudes
Abstract
In niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities for particle acceleration, a decrease of the quality factor at lower fields—a so-called low field Q slope or LFQS—has been a long-standing unexplained effect. By extending the high Q measurement techniques to ultralow fields, we discover two previously unknown features of the effect: (i) saturation at rf fields lower than Eacc~0.1 MV/m; (ii) strong degradation enhancement by growing thicker niobium pentoxide. Our findings suggest that the LFQS may be caused by the two level systems in the natural niobium oxide on the inner cavity surface, thereby identifying a new source of residual resistance and providing guidance for potential nonaccelerator low-field applications of SRF cavities.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1415053
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1454719
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-PUB-17-269-TD; arXiv:1705.05982
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO; 264801
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-07CH11359
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Volume: 119 Journal Issue: 26; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
Citation Formats
Romanenko, A., and Schuster, D. I. Understanding Quality Factor Degradation in Superconducting Niobium Cavities at Low Microwave Field Amplitudes. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801.
Romanenko, A., & Schuster, D. I. Understanding Quality Factor Degradation in Superconducting Niobium Cavities at Low Microwave Field Amplitudes. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801
Romanenko, A., and Schuster, D. I. Thu .
"Understanding Quality Factor Degradation in Superconducting Niobium Cavities at Low Microwave Field Amplitudes". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801.
@article{osti_1415053,
title = {Understanding Quality Factor Degradation in Superconducting Niobium Cavities at Low Microwave Field Amplitudes},
author = {Romanenko, A. and Schuster, D. I.},
abstractNote = {In niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities for particle acceleration, a decrease of the quality factor at lower fields—a so-called low field Q slope or LFQS—has been a long-standing unexplained effect. By extending the high Q measurement techniques to ultralow fields, we discover two previously unknown features of the effect: (i) saturation at rf fields lower than Eacc~0.1 MV/m; (ii) strong degradation enhancement by growing thicker niobium pentoxide. Our findings suggest that the LFQS may be caused by the two level systems in the natural niobium oxide on the inner cavity surface, thereby identifying a new source of residual resistance and providing guidance for potential nonaccelerator low-field applications of SRF cavities.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 26,
volume = 119,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264801
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Cited by: 36 works
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Figures / Tables:
FIG. 1: Decay of cavity output power upon turning the RF source off. At each moment in time t0, time decay can be characterized by the “instantaneous” time constant τ(t0), from which the loaded quality factor QL is obtained. Dashed lines reflect the noise floor in the respective configurations.
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Geometric scaling of two-level-system loss in superconducting resonators
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Figures / Tables found in this record:
Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.