A light source project named very compact inverse Compton scattering gamma-ray source (VIGAS) is under development at Tsinghua University. VIGAS aims to generate monochromatic high-energy gamma rays by colliding 350-MeV electron beams with 400-nm laser photons within a 12-m beamline. To produce a high-energy electron beam in such a compact space, the system consists of an S-band high-brightness injector and six X-band high-gradient accelerating structures. The goal of the X-band structure is to operate at a high gradient of $80\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$. Therefore, we adopts the constant gradient traveling wave approach, where the iris from the first cell to the end cell is tapered. The structure has 72 cells, including 70 cells and 2 couplers, so we named it XT72. The frequency of XT72 is selected to 11.424 GHz, and the $2\pi /3$ mode is adopted. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study covering the detailed design, fabrication, rf tuning, and high-power test results of the first XT72. Additionally, we compare the performance of this structure to that of the previous constant impedance structure. Our results demonstrate that the XT72 is capable of operating at an $80\text{−}\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ gradient with a lower breakdown rate. This advancement paves the way for the development of VIGAS project and contributes to the wider application of X-band room-temperature high-gradient structures in compact accelerator facilities.

The surface resistance of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities depends on the strength of the applied rf field. This field dependence is caused by a combination of intrinsic losses and the extrinsic thermal feedback (TFB) effect. To test theories of intrinsic field dependence, the extrinsic part must be compensated for when analyzing experimental data from SRF cavity tests. Performing this compensation requires knowing thermal parameters that describe heat flow in the cavity walls. The relevant thermal parameters have been measured in the case of superfluid helium, below 2.177 K, but no detailed measurements have yet been reported for cooling of niobium surfaces in normal fluid helium baths. Because of this, the impact of TFB on the field dependence at temperatures near 4.2 K is unknown. In the present study, we report measurements of normal fluid helium boiling from niobium surfaces and its dependence on the orientation of the boiling surface and bath temperature. These measurements are used to create a finite-element model of heat transfer in cavities from TRIUMF’s coaxial test program. This tool is then used to compensate for TFB when analyzing a range of datasets from this program. Results are presented showing that TFB has a weak impact for the temperatures of 2.0 and 4.2 K, where SRF cavities are usually operated, but it is an important effect at intermediate temperatures.

We revisit the kinematics of Compton scattering (electron-photon interactions producing electrons and photons in the exit channel) covering the full range of energy/momenta distribution between the two colliding particles, with a dedicated view to statistical properties of secondary beams that are generated in beam-beam collisions. Starting from the Thomson inverse scattering, where electrons do not recoil and photons are backscattered to higher energies by a Lorentz boost effect (factor $4{\gamma }^2$), we analyze three transition points, separating four regions. These are in sequence, given by increasing the electron recoil (numbers are for transition points and letters for regions): (a) Thomson backscattering, (1) equal sharing of total energy in the exit channel between electron and photon, (b) deep recoil regime where the bandwidth/energy spread of the two interacting beams are exchanged in the exit channel, (2) electron is stopped, i.e., taken down at rest in the laboratory system by colliding with an incident photon of $m{c}^2/2$ energy, (c) electron backscattering region, where incident electron is backscattered by the incident photon, and (3) symmetric scattering, when the incident particles carry equal and opposite momenta, so that in the exit channel they are backscattered with same energy/momenta, and (d) Compton scattering [ála Arthur Compton, see A. J. Compton, A quantum theory of the scattering of X-rays by light elements, Phys. Rev. 21, 83 (1923)], where photons carry an energy much larger than the colliding electron energy. For each region and/or transition point, we discuss the potential effects of interest in diverse areas, like generating monochromatic gamma-ray beams in deep recoil regions with spectral purification, or possible mechanisms of generation and propagation of very high energy photons in the cosmological domain.

In current accelerators, numerous parameters and monitored values are to be adjusted and evaluated, respectively. In addition, fine adjustments are required to achieve the target performance. Therefore, the conventional accelerator-operation method, in which experts manually adjust the parameters, is reaching its limits. We are currently investigating the use of machine learning for accelerator tuning as an alternative to expert-based tuning. In recent years, machine-learning algorithms have progressed significantly in terms of speed, sensitivity, and application range. In addition, various libraries are available from different vendors and are relatively easy to use. Herein, we report the results of electron-beam tuning experiments using Bayesian optimization, a tree-structured Parzen estimator, and a covariance matrix-adaptation evolution strategy. Beam-tuning experiments are performed at the KEK $e^{-}/e^{+}$ injector Linac to maximize the electron-beam charge and reduce the energy-dispersion function. In each case, the performance achieved is comparable to that of a skilled expert.

Radio frequency knock out resonant slow extraction is a standard method for extracting stored particle beams from synchrotrons by transverse excitation. Classically, the beam is excited with an rf field comprising a frequency band around one of the betatron sidebands. This article demonstrates that the third-integer resonance commonly used for the slow extraction induces nonlinear motion, resulting in the appearance of additional sidebands of higher order at multiples of the betatron tune. Measured and simulated beam spectra are presented, revealing these sidebands and the beam’s response to being excited at first and second order sidebands. The feasibility of using a second order sideband for the purpose of slow extraction is demonstrated. This results in a significant improvement in the temporal structure (spill quality) of the extracted beam, but at the cost of higher excitation power requirements. This is observed both experimentally and in tracking simulations. The mechanism behind the observed improvement is explained using beam dynamics simulations.

This review paper describes the energy-upgraded Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) accelerator. This superconducting linac has achieved 12 GeV beam energy by adding 11 new high-performance cryomodules containing 88 superconducting cavities that have operated cw at an average accelerating gradient of $20\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$. After reviewing the attributes and performance of the previous 6 GeV CEBAF accelerator, we discuss the upgraded CEBAF accelerator system in detail with particular attention paid to the new beam acceleration systems. In addition to doubling the acceleration in each linac, the upgrade included improving the beam recirculation magnets, adding more helium cooling capacity to allow the newly installed modules to run cold, adding a new experimental hall, and improving numerous other accelerator components. We review several of the techniques deployed to operate and analyze the accelerator performance and document system operating experience and performance. In the final portion of the document, we present much of the current planning regarding projects to improve accelerator performance and enhance operating margins, and our plans for ensuring CEBAF operates reliably into the future. For the benefit of potential users of CEBAF, the performance and quality measures for the beam delivered to each of the experimental halls are summarized in the Appendix.

In SuperKEKB, movable collimators reduce the beam background noise in the Belle II particle detector and protect crucial machine components, such as final focusing superconducting quadrupole magnets (QCS), from abnormal beam losses. The challenges related to the collimator, which were not properly considered at the time of SuperKEKB design, have surfaced through experience with its operation. In this paper, we report the collimator operation strategy in SuperKEKB. In addition, a significant challenge of beam collimation due to the future increase in the beam background is highlighted. We also discuss another issue caused by unexpected and sudden beam losses in the machine that damage collimators, leading to weaker beam collimation performance and an increase in transverse impedance. Furthermore, we introduce a novel collimation approach called the nonlinear collimator (NLC) to address these challenges. We detail the concept of NLC and evaluate their effectiveness by assessing the collimator impedance, beam background reduction, and impact on the dynamic aperture. The possibility of using NLCs as absorber collimators to counteract events that damage the collimator is also shown to be helpful.

Hydrodynamic plasma waveguides initiated by optical field ionization have recently become a key component of multi-GeV laser wakefield accelerators. Here, we present the most complete and accurate experimental and simulation-based characterization to date, applicable to current multi-GeV experiments and future 100 GeV-scale laser plasma accelerators. Crucial to the simulations is the correct modeling of intense Bessel beam interaction with meter-scale gas targets, the results of which are used as initial conditions for hydrodynamic simulations. The simulations are in good agreement with our experiments measuring evolving plasma and neutral hydrogen density profiles using two-color short pulse interferometry, enabling realistic determination of the guided mode structure for application to laser-driven plasma accelerator design.

The fabrication process is presented for a typical transition section located between each cylindrical corrugated waveguide structure comprising the wakefield accelerator module. The transition section includes couplers for extracting the 180 GHz ${\mathrm{TM}}_{01}$ accelerating mode and separate couplers for extracting the 190 GHz ${\mathrm{HE}}_{11}$ dipole mode, both modes induced by the electron bunch traversing the cylindrical corrugated waveguide structure. Extraction of the high-power accelerating mode reduces the heat load due to the subterahertz wave power dissipation within the corrugated accelerating structure. Extraction of the low-power dipole mode serves the purpose of detecting the electron bunch transverse oscillations within the wakefield accelerator and identifying the onset of beam breakup instability. Comprehensive testing of the fully functional transition section with an electron beam was done at the Accelerator Test Facility in Brookhaven National Laboratory which verified the functionality of the transition section.

The wiggler-based amplifier of the microbunching instability in the electron beam is considered and compared to a longitudinal space charge amplifier consisting of the drifts and chicanes. The gain in the magnitude of a seed perturbation of the electron beam density is evaluated analytically as a function of the period of the perturbation, the electron beam parameters, the wiggler parameters, and the amplifier lattice parameters. The theory is compared with the results of the numerical calculations of the gain based on simulations of the electron beam transport through the amplifier lattice.

Coherent electron cooling is a novel method to cool dense hadron beams on timescales of a few hours. This method uses a copropagating beam of electrons to pick up the density fluctuations within the hadron beam in one straight section and then provides corrective energy kicks to the hadrons in a downstream straight, cooling the beam. Microbunched electron cooling is an extension of this idea, which induces a microbunching instability in the electron beam as it travels between the two straights, amplifying the signal. However, initial noise in the electron bunch will also be amplified, providing random kicks to the hadrons downstream which tend to increase their emittance. In this paper, we develop an analytic estimate of the effect of the electron noise and benchmark it against simulations. We also discuss how this effect has impacted the cooler design.

In this article, we summarize recent theoretical and experimental studies of the impedance and beam-induced heating of titanium-coated ceramic vacuum chambers used in the NSLS-II injection kickers. The impedance was calculated using the field matching theory assuming planar approximation and compared with the impedancewake2d code. For the coating thickness of a few microns, we demonstrated that the beam-induced power is dissipated in the titanium coating and that the longitudinally averaged two-dimensional power density is approximated by an analytical expression, thus allowing the use of a simplified model of the power density as input for the ansys code to simulate the temperature distribution with realistic nonuniform thickness of the Ti coating. For a few values of the NSLS-II beam current, we measured the beam-induced heating of two ceramic chambers using thermal sensors installed along the chamber and compared the measurement results with the simulations.

Intense highly charged ion beam production is essential for high-power heavy ion accelerators. A novel movable Vlasov launcher for superconducting high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion source has been devised that can affect the microwave power effectiveness by a factor of about 4 in terms of highly charged ion beam production. This approach based on a dedicated microwave launching system instead of the traditional coupling scheme has led to new insight on microwave-plasma interaction. With this new understanding, the world record highly charged xenon ion beam currents have been enhanced by up to a factor of 2, which could directly and significantly enhance the performance of heavy ion accelerators and provide many new research opportunities in nuclear physics, atomic physics, and other disciplines.

Accelerator physics relies on numerical algorithms to solve optimization problems in online accelerator control and tasks such as experimental design and model calibration in simulations. The effectiveness of optimization algorithms in discovering ideal solutions for complex challenges with limited resources often determines the problem complexity these methods can address. The accelerator physics community has recognized the advantages of Bayesian optimization algorithms, which leverage statistical surrogate models of objective functions to effectively address complex optimization challenges, especially in the presence of noise during accelerator operation and in resource-intensive physics simulations. In this review article, we offer a conceptual overview of applying Bayesian optimization techniques toward solving optimization problems in accelerator physics. We begin by providing a straightforward explanation of the essential components that make up Bayesian optimization techniques. We then give an overview of current and previous work applying and modifying these techniques to solve accelerator physics challenges. Finally, we explore practical implementation strategies for Bayesian optimization algorithms to maximize their performance, enabling users to effectively address complex optimization challenges in real-time beam control and accelerator design.

Nonuniform transmission lines (NTLs) are widely used in pulsed power accelerators because they provide an efficient way to achieve impedance matching and pulse shaping. Since designing and constructing these accelerators typically demands substantial effort, finding the optimal impedance profile to maximize the power transmission efficiencies of the NTLs is important. In this paper, a convenient numerical method to determine the optimal impedance profile is proposed. First, the output of the NTL with arbitrary parameters is theoretically analyzed under arbitrary input conditions. It was found that only four factors affect the power transmission efficiency: the ratio of output impedance to input impedance, the ratio of input pulse width to the NTL’s one-way transit time, the normalized impedance profile, and the normalized input pulse. Based on these findings, a method designed to minimize the reflected component within the working frequency range is proposed. Using this method, an impedance profile demonstrating superior power transmission efficiency compared to the traditional exponential profile is identified. This work can provide a rapid and effective method to determine the impedance profile of the NTL, undoubtedly benefiting the design process of pulsed power accelerators.

Numerical optimizations on couplers of the traveling-wave (TW) accelerating structures usually require lots of calculation resources. This paper proposes a new technique for matching couplers to an accelerating structure in a more efficient and accurate way. It combines improved Kroll method with improved Kyhl method, thereby simplifying simulation process while achieving a high accuracy. This paper also presents the detailed design on couplers for a C-band constant-gradient (CG) accelerating structure based on this new technique. Such a new technique can be widely used for any TW accelerating structures working at different frequencies of S-band, C-band, and X-band including CG, constant-impedance (CI), and other structures with either electric couplers or magnetic couplers.

Achieving maximum electron beam brightness in photoinjectors requires detailed control of the 3D bunch shape and precise tuning of the beam focusing. Even in state-of-the-art designs, slice emittance growth due to nonlinear space charge forces and partial nonlaminarity often remains non-negligible. In this work, we introduce a new means to linearize the transverse slice phase space: a sacrificial portion of the bunch’s own charge distribution, formed into a wavebroken shock front by highly nonlinear space charge forces within the gun, whose downstream purpose is to dynamically linearize the desired bunch core. We show that linearization of an appropriately prepared bunch can be achieved via strongly nonlaminar focusing of the sacrificial shock front, while the inner core focuses laminarly. This leads to a natural spatial separation of the two distributions: a dense core surrounded by a diffuse halo of sacrificial charge that can be collimated. Multiobjective genetic algorithm optimizations of the ultracompact x-ray free electron laser injector employ this concept, and we interpret it with an analytic model that agrees well with the simulations. In simulation, we demonstrate a final bunch charge of 100 pC, peak current $\sim 30$ A, and a sacrificial charge of 150 pC (250 pC total emitted from cathode) with normalized emittance growth of $<20\mathrm{nm}\mathrm{rad}$ due to space charge. This implies a maximum achievable brightness approximately an order of magnitude greater than existing free electron laser injector designs.

A terahertz radiation enhancing scheme, in which a linearly polarized weakly relativistic laser pulse irradiates a target consisting of two parallel thin-solid layers with a certain gap, is proposed and studied by using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The radiation is known to be produced by laser-produced hot electrons via mechanisms such as coherent transition radiation at the target surfaces. Under optimized conditions, the energy conversion efficiency of terahertz radiation can be as high as 3.3%, which is nearly 1.5 times higher than that obtained with a single-layer target with the same drive laser. This is mainly due to the enhanced hot electron generation with moderate energy via multiple reflections of the laser pulse between the two target layers. The radiation has two peaks close to 30° from the target surface, which are more collimated than that with the single-layer target. The dependence of the terahertz radiation on a variety of target parameters is given, which can control the terahertz spectrum and radiation efficiency and thus provide guidance for experimental investigations. Moreover, both the coherent transition radiation and antenna radiation models are applied to explain the angular distributions of the terahertz emission found in the simulations.