Continuous wave interdigital H-mode cavities for alternating phase focusing heavy ion acceleration.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Accelerator Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• The Super Heavy Element program requires ion beams with energies exceeding the Coulomb barrier.
• Existing accelerator technology faces limitations in delivering the necessary beam intensity and energy for superheavy element synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the design and critical aspects of the HELIAC, a novel superconducting linear accelerator for heavy ions.
• To highlight the importance of optimizing the injector section for efficient and stable beam acceleration.

Main Methods:

• The HELIAC design incorporates a superconducting main accelerator and a normal conducting injector.
• The injector utilizes an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, a radio-frequency quadrupole, and two interdigital H-mode drift-tube linear accelerator cavities.
• An Alternating Phase Focusing (APF) scheme is employed for beam acceleration and focusing.

Main Results:

• The injector is designed to accelerate ions from 300 to 1400 keV/u.
• A single external quadrupole triplet provides transverse focusing between the two cavities.
• Optimization of RF, mechanical, and thermal properties of the cavities is identified as critical for continuous wave operation.

Conclusions:

• The HELIAC injector's successful operation hinges on meticulous cavity optimization.
• This advanced accelerator technology is poised to significantly advance superheavy element research.