University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
University of Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Hamburg, Germany
Particle accelerators form an important tool in a variety of research fields. In an effort to reduce operation costs while maintaining high energies, their accelerating structures are steadily improved towards higher accelerating fields and lower RF losses. Stable operation of such a cavity generally requires Joule-heating, generated in its walls, to be conducted to an outer helium bath. Therefore, it is of interest to experimentally evaluate how present and future cavity treatments affect thermal characteristics. We present an instrument for measuring the thermal performance of SRF cavity materials at cryogenic temperatures. Pairs of niobium disks are placed inside of a liquid helium bath and a temperature gradient is generated across them to obtain total thermal resistance for temperatures below 2 Kelvin. To get an idea of the instruments sensitivity and how standard cavity treatments influence thermal resistance, samples are tested post fabrication, polishing and 800 °C baking. The first tests show the commissioning of our newly set up system and if it is feasible to observe relevant changes and evaluate new and promising cavity treatments such as SIS structures.
DESY, Hamburg, Germany
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
University of Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Hamburg, Germany
A new vacuum furnace has been designed and purchased by the University of Hamburg and is operating in an ISO5 cleanroom. This furnace can anneal single-cell TESLA cavities at temperatures up to 1000°C and with a pressure of less than 10-7mbar or in a nitrogen atmosphere of up to 10-2mbar. We will lay out the underlying design ideas, based on the gained experience from our previous annealing research, and present the commissioning of the furnace itself. Additionally, we will show for the first time the results of sample and cavity tests after annealing in the furnace. This will be accompanied by an overview of the intended R&D process and scientific questions to be addressed.
University of Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Hamburg, Germany
DESY, Hamburg, Germany
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Pushing the limits of the accelerating field or quality factor of SRF cavities beyond pure Nb requires the implementation of specific inner surface treatments, which are yet to be studied and optimized. One of the fundamental challenges in exploring alternative materials is that only samples or cavity cuts can be fully characterized from a material point of view. On the other hand, complete cavities allow for the SRF characterization of the inner surface, while samples can usually only be analyzed using DC methods. To address this problem, a test resonator for samples, called "Quadrupole Resonator", was designed and operated at CERN and later at HZB. It allows for a full RF characterization of samples at frequencies of 0.42 GHz, 0.86 GHz, and 1.3 GHz, within a temperature range of 2-20 K and at magnetic fields up to 120 mT. This work presents the design process, which incorporated improvements motivated by mechanical and RF studies and experience, and the results from both warm and cold commissioning are discussed. More important, the results for the RF tests of a Nb sample after undergoing a series of heat treatments and an outlook of the further usage of the QPR is presented.
