High-efficiency distributed-coupling linear accelerator design

A method of designing a high-efficiency distributed linear accelerator, the method comprising:

• determining cavity geometries and waveguide geometries of a linear accelerator body of which is defined from a conductive metal block, where the linear accelerator body having a plurality of cavities aligned along a central beamline and a pair of manifold waveguides on opposite sides of the central beamline for distribution of power supply to the plurality of cavities from a single common RF feed, and the RF power feed having a main body that splits into two arms that each extends to a corresponding manifold of the pair of waveguide manifolds;
• and
• determining coupling junction geometries of a plurality of waveguide coupling junctions between the pair of manifolds, where each of the cavities transmits RF from the pair of manifolds to the plurality of cavities,
• wherein a respective cavity is optimized individually by application of a scattering matrix, and this same optimization approach is iteratively to each other cavity of the plurality such that the geometries of each of the plurality of cavities is optimized for an electron speed associated with a given location along the beamline.

A method of forming a high-efficiency distributed linear accelerator, the method comprising:

• fabricating a linear accelerator body from a conductive metal, by a CNC machine in two blocks of the conductive metal, the linear accelerator body having a plurality of cavities aligned along a central beamline and a pair of waveguide manifolds on opposite sides of the central beamline for distribution of power supply to the plurality of cavities, wherein the linear accelerator body is defined by upper and lower halves;
• fabricating a plurality of waveguide coupling junctions between the pair of waveguide manifolds and each of the cavities in order to transmit the supply RF power from a single common RF power feed coupled to the pair of waveguide manifolds to the plurality of cavities, wherein each of the cavities is optimized individually by application of a scattering matrix such that the geometries of each of the plurality of cavities is optimized for an electron speed associated with a given location along the beamline, wherein the waveguide coupling junctions are fabricated by a CNC machine in two blocks of the conductive metal that define the upper and lower halves;
• and
• fabricating a Y-coupler RF waveguide for coupling the single RF power feed to the pair of waveguide manifolds by a CNC machine in conductive metal.