Beam Dynamics Experiments in Support of Relativistic Klystrons*

Experiments to study beam dynamics for Relativistic Klystrons (RK) are being performed with a 1-MeV, 600-A induction accelerator beam. The RK is a RF Power source based on induction accelerator technology and conventional resonant output structures. Capable of generating 100's of MW/m at frequencies up to K-band, the RK has been proposed as a driver for a future linear collider in one version of a Two-Beam Accelerator. A critical feasibility issue remaining to be demonstrated is suppression of the transverse instability of the drive beam. This kiloampere beam must transit about a hundred resonance output structures and many hundreds of induction accelerator cavities for the RK to achieve competitive efficiency and cost with respect to other proposed power sources. The RK's strong focusing used to contain the beam in the small aperture resonant structures, repetitive geometry, and reacceleration allow the resonant output structures to be spaced at a betatron phase advance of 360°. This phase advance (or any integral multiple of 180°) is beneficial in linear accelerators as the instability growth changes from exponential to linear. In our experiment the beam is contained in a solenoidal focusing channel, RF cavities are spaced every 60 cm, and growth in the transverse motion is measured as a function of phase advance. Details of the experiments and results are presented.