Operational Performance and Improvements to the RF Power Sources for the Compact Linear Collider Test Facility (CTF3) at CERN

The CERN CTF3 facility is being used to test and demonstrate key technical issues for the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) study. Pulsed RF power sources are essential elements in this test facility. Klystrons at S-band (29998.55 GHz), in conjunction with pulse compression systems, are used to power the Drive Beam Accelerator (DBA) to achieve an electron beam energy of 150 MeV. The L-Band RF system, includes broadband Travelling Wave Tubes (TWTs) for beam bunching with 'phase coded' sub pulses in the injector and a narrow band high power L-Band klystron powering the transverse 1.5GHz RF deflector in the Delay Loop immediately after the DBA. This paper describes these different systems and discusses their operational performance

High-Power Test of Two Prototype X-band Accelerating Structures Based on SwissFEL Fabrication Technology

This article presents the design, construction, and high-power test of two $X$-band radio frequency (RF) accelerating structures built as part of a collaboration between CERN and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) for the compact linear collider (CLIC) study. The structures are a modified 'tuning-free' variant of an existing CERN design and were assembled using Swiss free electron laser (SwissFEL) production methods. The purpose of the study is two-fold. The first objective is to validate the RF properties and high-power performance of the tuning-free, vacuum brazed PSI technology. The second objective is to study the structures' high-gradient behavior to provide insight into the breakdown and conditioning phenomena as they apply to high-field devices in general. Low-power RF measurements showed that the structure field profiles were close to the design values, and both structures were conditioned to accelerating gradients in excess of 100 MV/m in CERN's high-gradient test facility. Measurements performed during the second structure test suggest that the breakdown rate (BDR) scales strongly with the accelerating gradient, with the best fit being a power law relation with an exponent of 31.14. In both cases, the test results indicate that stable, high-gradient operation is possible with tuning-free, vacuum brazed structures of this kind

Exploration of a klystron-powered first energy stage of CLIC

In this paper we explore the parameters for a klystron powered 500 GeV CLIC. The emphasis is on the order of magnitude estimates rather than on actual design

Commissioning of a New X-Band, Low-Noise LLRF System

To increase beam energy in the CLEAR facility at CERN and study the CLIC accelerating structure prototype in operating conditions, the first X-band test facility at CERN was upgraded in 2020. Both, the acquisition and software systems at X-band test stand 1 (Xbox1) were upgraded to exhibit low phase noise which is relevant to klystron based CLIC and to the use of crab cavities in the beam delivery system. The new LLRF uses down-conversion which necessitates a local oscillator which can be produced by two different methods. The first is a PLL, a commonly used technique which has been previously employed at the other X-band facilities at CERN. The second is a novel application of a single sideband up-convertor. The up-convertor system has demonstrated reduced phase noise when compared with the PLL. The commissioning of the new system began in late 2020 with the conditioning of a 50 MW Klystron. Measurements of the quality of the new LLRF will be shown. These will compare the PLL and up-convertor with particular attention on the quality of the phase measurements. Also, a preliminary study of phase shifts in the waveguide network due to temperature changes will be presented

High-Power Testing Results of X-Band RF-Window and 45 Degrees Spiral Load

The X-Band test facilities at CERN have been running for some years now qualifying CLIC structure prototypes, but also developing and testing high power general-purpose X-Band components, used in a wide range of applications. Driven by operational needs, several components have been redesigned and tested aiming to optimize the reliability and the compactness of the full system and therefore enhancing the accessibility of this technology inside and outside CERN. To this extent, a new high-power RF-window has been designed and tested aiming to avoid unnecessary venting of high-power sections already conditioned, easing the interventions, and protecting the klystrons. A new spiral load prototype has also been designed, built, and tested, optimizing the compactness, and improving the fabrication process. In these pages, the design and manufacturing for each component will be shortly described, along with the last results on the high-power testing

Design and High Power Measurements of a 3 GHz Rotary Joint for Medical Applications

The TUrning LInac for Protontherapy (TULIP) project requires the transport of RF power from modulator/klystron systems at rest on the floor to the linac structures mounted on a rotating gantry, via a waveguide system that can operate over a range of angles of rotation. A waveguide rotary joint capable of transporting RF power at 3 GHz and up to 20 MW has been designed and built in collaboration between TERA Foundation, CERN Beams and CERN Engineering Departments. A high-power test of the prototype has been performed at the CLIC Test Facility (CTF3), at CERN. The design and the results of the tests are reported in this article

Connection of 12 GHz high power RF from the XBOX 1 high gradient test stand to the CLEAR electron linac

A new RF system is being established at XBOX1 to drive two 100 MV/m CLIC structures in the CLEAR electron linac. In the past, these structures had been powered by RF from PET structures excited by a drive beam. This drive beam is no longer available. The upgrade will reroute power from the 50 MW klystron and pulse compressor which was previously used to power the structure in XBOX1. During the upgrade, the LLRF system will be optimised to improve the modulation of the output signals and down-mixing of the returning signals to obtain accurate phase and amplitude information. The design of the improved LLRF and software, along with phase noise measurements and comparisons with the old system are made in this paper

Development of Prototype MgB2_{2} Superconducting Solenoid Magnet for High-efficiency Klystron Applications

A wind-and-react MgB$_{2}$ solenoid magnet for klystrons has been developed. While the current normal-conducting (Cu) magnet consumes 20 kW per magnet, this MgB$_{2}$ magnet consumes less than 3 kW in refrigerator power. The conduction-cooled half coil of the magnet is 337 mm in inner diameter; the winding pack, 19.4 mm wide × 136.6 mm high, uses 2.7 km of 10 filament circular conductor, which is insulated with glass 0.83 mm in diameter, and is reacted after being wound onto a stainless steel bobbin. The coil has Cu plates of 0.2 mm in thickness between each coil layer and on the inner and outer sides. The magnet has two coils and produces 0.8 T in the center and its stored energy is 11.8 kJ. Together with the above-mentioned coil structure, these coils can consume stored energy in itself at quench without a special quench protection system. A performance test of the magnet was successful