Investigations of trapped higher order modes using a 36-cell test structure

Abstract

In future linear collider schemes, energy loss, as well as deterioration of the beam due to long-range wakefields, is a severe problem to be overcome. The wakefield effects in accelerator sections for these colliders are thought to be reduced either by damping, by detuning, or by a combination of both. While, in principle, damping is possible by selective coupling to dangerous higher order modes (HOMs), an alternative way is to prevent coherent excitation of these wakes by modifying a constant gradient accelerator tube in such a way that each following cell is progressively detuned in relation to the preceding ones (“detuned” or “stagger-tuned” structure). This should result in low transit time factors for the higher order modes. However, the disturbed longitudinal symmetry of the structure induces trapped modes especially in the lower dipole bands, which are again dangerous for the beam. The process of detuning suppresses the synchronous dipole modes with their extreme high loss factors, but it also produces many other HOMs with significant loss factors. Experimental results were compared with the predictions of MAFIA field calculations.