High-power test of a C-band linear accelerating structure with an RFSoC-based LLRF system.

Area of Science:

• Particle Accelerator Technology
• Radio Frequency Systems Engineering
• High-Energy Physics Instrumentation

Background:

• Traditional low-level radio frequency (LLRF) systems use analog components, leading to increased hardware complexity, cost, and footprint with more radio frequency (RF) channels.
• The need for compact and affordable solutions is critical for the development of future particle accelerators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a next-generation LLRF (NG-LLRF) system with a higher integration level using RFSoC technology.
• To reduce the footprint, component cost, and system complexity of LLRF hardware for future accelerators.

Main Methods:

• Developed an NG-LLRF system based on RFSoC technology, enabling direct RF signal sampling and digital RF mixing.
• Characterized the system in loopback mode and tested it with a standing-wave accelerating structure prototype for the Cool Copper Collider (C3) up to 16.45 MW peak RF power.

Main Results:

• Loopback tests demonstrated amplitude fluctuation below 0.15% and phase fluctuation below 0.15°, surpassing C3 requirements.
• Measured RF signals from different stages of the accelerating structure at various power levels, providing crucial data for control algorithm design.
• Demonstrated flexibility in waveform modulation for potential use in controlling RF stations.

Conclusions:

• The NG-LLRF system, leveraging RFSoC technology, offers a compact, affordable, and high-performance solution for particle accelerators.
• Achieved superior amplitude and phase stability compared to existing systems and future accelerator requirements.
• The system's flexibility and performance make it a valuable advancement for accelerator control.