Evolution of high-repetition-rate induction accelerators through advancements in switching

Future applications of linear and recirculating induction accelerators include microwave sources for plasma heating and linear colliders, industrial manufacturing processes, and heavy-ion fusion. These applications require pulsed sources capable of sustained operation at high pulse-repetition rates. Powering these new accelerators places severe switching demands on the source that often can not be met with commercially-available technology. Consequently, several new accelerator switching schemes have been developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Our transition from spark-gap technology to magnetic switching has merged the formerly independent roles of source and cell into a single system and reshaped our design methods to emphasize high efficiency. Treatment of the accelerator as a system has also enabled us to optimize new accelerator designs based on cost considerations. Presently, we are developing a technology for driving a heavy-ion induction recirculator at pulse rates exceeding 100 kHz. In this case, the switching method is all solid state and the source and cell have evolved into unified device. (Author) 6 figs., tab., 30 refs