Particle accelerator system and method of operation
AssigneexLight Inc.
InventorsColwyn Gulliford, David Douglas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A particle accelerator system, preferably including an injection beamline, a return beamline, and a merged beamline, and optionally including a beam separator. The particle accelerator system preferably includes a plurality of electron optics elements, such as dipole magnets, quadrupole magnets, solenoid elements, and/or higher-order magnetic elements, which can function to direct electrons (and/or other charged particles) along the beamlines. A method of operation, preferably including injecting electrons, merging beamlines, accelerating the injected electrons, and/or using the accelerated electrons, and optionally including receiving return electrons, dumping used electrons, and/or returning the accelerated electrons.
Claims20
A particle accelerator system comprising:
- a merge dipole magnet;
- an injection beamline defining a first beam path from an injection point to the merge dipole magnet via a transverse translator, wherein the transverse translator:
- comprises a plurality of magnets;
- terminates at a first region of the merge dipole;
- and
- is configured to direct a first electron beam substantially along the first beam path to first region, the first electron beam defining a first average electron energy;
- a second beamline defining a second beam path from a second point to the merge dipole magnet, wherein the second beamline:
- terminates at a second region of the merge dipole, wherein the second region does not intersect the first region;
- and
- is configured to direct a second electron beam substantially along the second beam path to the second region, the second electron beam defining a second average electron energy substantially greater than the first average electron energy;
- wherein the merge dipole magnet is configured to:
- direct the first electron beam from the first region onto a merged trajectory;
- and
- direct the second electron beam from the second region onto the merged trajectory.
A method comprising:
- at an injection beamline:
- receiving a first electron beam defining a first average electron energy;
- and
- directing the first electron beam along a transverse translator to a first region of a merge element;
- at a second beamline:
- receiving a second electron beam defining a second average electron energy substantially greater than the first average electron energy;
- and
- directing the second electron beam to a second region of the merge element, wherein the second region does not intersect the first region;
- and
- at the merge element:
- receiving the first electron beam at the first region;
- substantially concurrent with receiving the first electron beam, receiving the second electron beam at the second region;
- directing the first electron beam from the first region onto a merged trajectory;
- and
- directing the second electron beam from the second region onto the merged trajectory such that the first and second electron beams are substantially collinear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.