Mitigation of multipacting in 113 MHz superconducting RF photo-injector

TL;DR

This paper investigates multipacting phenomena in a 113 MHz superconducting RF photo-injector, combining numerical and experimental methods to understand and mitigate barriers, ensuring stable operation and photocathode longevity.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive analysis of multipacting in a low-frequency SRF gun and develops a process to cross barriers without damaging the photocathode.

Findings

Identification of multiple multipacting zones during operation.

Presence of CsK₂Sb photocathode introduces additional barriers.

Successful crossing of multipacting barriers without harming photocathode lifetime.

Abstract

Superconducting RF (SRF) photo-injectors are one of the most promising devices for generating continuous wave (CW) electron beams with record high brightness. Ultra-high vacuum of SRF guns provides for long lifetime of the high quantum efficiency (QE) photocathodes, while SRF technology provides for high accelerating gradients exceeding 10 MV/m. It is especially true for low frequency SRF guns where electrons are generated at photocathodes at the crest of accelerating voltage. Two main physics challenges of SRF guns are their compatibility with high QE photocathodes and multipacting. The first is related to a possibility of deposition of photocathode materials (such as Cs) on the walls of the SRF cavity, which can result in increased dark current via reduction of the bulk Nb work function and in enhancing of a secondary electron emission yield (SEY). SEY plays critical role in multipacting, which could both spoil the gun vacuum and speed up the deposition of the cathode material on the walls of the SRF cavity. In short, the multipactor behavior in superconducting accelerating units must be well understood for successful operation of an SRF photo-injector. In this paper we present our studies of 1.2 MV 113 MHz quarter-wave SRF photo-injector serving as a source of electron beam for the Coherent electron Cooling experiment (CeC) at BNL. During three years of operating our SRF gun we encountered a number of multipacting zones. We also observed that presence of $\textrm{CsK}_{2}\textrm{Sb}$ photocathode in the gun could create additional multipacting barriers. We had conducted a comprehensive numerical and experimental study of the multipactor discharge in our SRF gun, and had developed a process of crossing the multipacting barriers from zero to the operational voltage without affecting the lifetime of our photocathode and enhancing the strength of multipacting barriers.