HOM absorbers for ERL cryomodules at BNL

The physics needs and technical requirements for several future accelerator projects at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) all involve electron Energy Recovery Linacs (ERL). The required high-current, high-charge operating parameters make effective higher-order-mode (HOM) damping mandatory and the development of HOM dampers for a prototypical five-cell cavity is actively pursued. An experimental five-cell niobium cavity with ferrite dampers has been constructed, and effective HOM damping has been demonstrated at room and superconducting (SC) temperatures. A novel type of ferrite damper around a ceramic break has been developed for the ERL electron gun and prototype tests are also reported. Contemplated future projects are based on assembling a chain of superconducting cavities in a common cryomodule with the dampers placed in the cold space between the cavities, imposing severe longitudinal space constraints. Various damper configurations have been studied by placing them between two five-cell copper cavities. Measured and simulated copper cavity results, external Q-values of possible dampers and fundamental mode losses are presented.