NLCTA — beamNetUS

NLCTA - Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator

NLCTA provides unique capabilities for high power testing of accelerator technology over a range of frequencies with multiple distinct high-power test zones in a radiation shielded bunker.

One S-Band and multiple X-Band klystrons can be utilized for RF component development. The X-band Test Accelerator (XTA), a stand-alone high-power X-band beamline with a photo-injector, produces electrons up to 70MeV, for X-Band powered acceleration structure testing with beam or for electron irradiation of components. Besides RF power, NLCTA provides a pico-second laser systems, vacuum infrastructure, magnets, diagnostic and dumps for short beam lines.

NLCTA is operated as a user facility with multiple concurrent experiments.

Facility bio

Name of Facility: Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA)

Laboratory: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Address: 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Point of Contact: Emma Snively (Operations Manager) and Carsten Hast (Head of Test Facilities)

Note: NLCTA will be able to accept proposals to its ongoing program outside of the BeamNetUS call. Contact the points of contact for details.

Seminar Series Video and Slides

    NLCTA Beam Parameters
    
            Parameter
            Value
        
            Beam Type
            Electrons
        
            Beam Energy
            75 MeV
        
            Repetition Rate
            0.5 - 30 Hz
        
            Bunch Charge
            1 - 100 pC
        
            Bunch Length
            75 - 400 um
        
            Beam spot size
            4000 um (in air)
        
    RF Parameters
    
            Parameter
            XTA DUT
            S-Area
            X0-Area
        
            Frequency (GHz)
            11.424
            2.856
            11.424
        
            Peak Power (MW)
            30
            10
            10
        
            Repetition Rate (Hz)
            0.5 - 60
            0.5 - 60
            0.530

NLCTA Beam Parameters
Parameter	Value
Beam Type	Electrons
Beam Energy	75 MeV
Repetition Rate	0.5 - 30 Hz
Bunch Charge	1 - 100 pC
Bunch Length	75 - 400 um
Beam spot size	4000 um (in air)

RF Parameters
Parameter	XTA DUT	S-Area	X0-Area
Frequency (GHz)	11.424	2.856	11.424
Peak Power (MW)	30	10	10
Repetition Rate (Hz)	0.5 - 60	0.5 - 60	0.530

Capabilities

Science specialists: RF, laser and beam operation support; experts in RF simulation

Available tools: RF power, lasers, vacuum systems, short beam lines with spectrometers, variety of beam diagnostics, dumps, etc.

Ideal Experiment

The ideal experiments would test an acceleration structure for break downs at S-band or X-band or beam operation characterization at X-band. Another area of ideally suited experiments includes detector characterization and sample irradiation on the XTA beamline. Photos of example structures are shown to the left, with a 1-cell S-band structure test (top) and a multi-cell X-band structure with incorporated thermionic gun in a stand-alone compact beam line (bottom).

Photo of the XTA beamline with key elements called out below.

SLAC staff at NLCTA (from left to right: Wei Hou Tan, Emma Snively, Annika Gabriel, Mohamed Othman, Sara Kandil, Doug McCormick, Cristina Padilla Hernandez, Stephen Weathersby, Juan Cruz)

XTA beamline with key elements called out

Multi-cell X-band structure with incorporated thermionic gun in a stand-alone compact beam line