RF phase stability in the 100-MeV proton linac operation

Abstract

The 100-MeV proton linac of the Korea multi-purpose accelerator complex (KOMAC) has been operated to provide a proton beam to users. The 100-MeV linac consists of a 3-MeV radio-frequency quadrupole accelerator (RFQ), four 20-MeV drift-tube linac (DTL) tanks, two medium-energy beam-transmitter (MEBT) tanks, and seven 100-MeV DTL tanks. The requirements of the field stability are within ±1% in RF amplitude and ±1 degree in RF phase. The RF phase stability is influenced by a RF reference line, RF transmission lines, and a RF control system. The RF reference signal is chosen to be a 300-MHz local oscillator (LO) signal, and a rigid copper coaxial line with temperature control was installed for an RF reference distribution. A phase stability of ±0.1 degrees was measured under a temperature change of ±0.1 °C. A digital feedback control system with a field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) module was adopted for a high RF stability. The RF phase was maintained within ±0.1 degrees with a dummy cavity and was within ±0.3 degrees at RFQ operation. In the case of the 20-MeV DTL tanks, one klystron drives 4 tanks, and the input phases of 4 tanks were designed to be in phase. The input phases of 4 tanks were fixed within ±1 degree by adjusting a phase shifter in each waveguide.