30 June 2026 to 1 July 2026
Europe/London timezone

Evidence for RF Breakdowns Causing Surface Anomalies on Caesium Telluride Cathodes at CLARA

Not scheduled
20m
Martin Wood Complex

Martin Wood Complex

Poster Submissions Poster session

Speaker

Hugh Churn (AsTec)

Description

The Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications (CLARA) at Daresbury Laboratory has recently undertaken an upgrade of its photocathodes from using a copper emission surface to using caesium telluride (Cs2Te).
During the conditioning of the first Cs2Te cathode a significant number of RF breakdowns were detected, and so that cathode was replaced; subsequent inspection of the cathode identified a number of surface defects. To better study
the second cathode, a diagnostic camera was used to collect images of the surface in situ during RF conditioning; the frequent formation over time of surface defects was observed. In this paper we present a statistical analysis of the breakdown events and surface image data, utilizing cross-correlation of the signal derivatives to account for cumulative trends. The analysis reveals a correlation between the rate of defect formation and the incidence of RF breakdowns, with
a Pearson coefficient of 𝑟 = 0.59 at zero time lag. These results provide quantitative evidence that RF breakdown events are the likely driver of surface morphology changes on Cs2Te cathodes.

Presenting Author Hugh Churn
Is the Presenting Author a PhD Student or Early Career Scientist ? No
Area of research Accelerator technology (including magnets)

Author

Hugh Churn (AsTec)

Presentation materials

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