Performance of the spiral line induction accelerator

Abstract

A proof-of-concept experiment (POCE) to demonstrate the performance of a novel recirculating induction accelerator has been completed. The Spiral Line Induction Accelerator employs a unique combination of features (spiral beamline, shielded off-axis gaps, and stellarator focussing fields) which permits efficient, high-current operation with a compact device. Initial experiments demonstrated acceleration of 2 and 10 kA beams to 5.5 MeV and acceleration of a 12.5 kA beam to 4.5 MeV by transport around a full turn with two passes through a single accelerating unit. Recent tests with the completed POCE hardware achieved the program goal with acceleration of a 2.4 kA beam to 9.5 MeV.