Control of electromagnetic properties during prototyping, fabrication and operation of low-β 325 MHz half-wave resonators

The general steps for the fabrication of a copper prototype of 325 MHz coaxial half-wave resonator (HWR) with β = 0.21 are presented and discussed in this work. The main features for the control of the electromagnetic properties during the manufacturing process of HWR are described in detail. The resonant frequency sensitivity to the accelerating gap and to the cavity height were experimentally estimated. Bead-pull measurements were performed and the electric field distribution along the beam axis of the manufactured cavity was estimated. The features of the cavity's response in the critical coupling regime are analyzed. The experimental concept of a slow frequency tuning system (FTS) based on the moving plungers is proposed and tested. The tuning sensibility is experimentally estimated. The measured results agree with the simulations quite well, and the sensitivity for a single plunger configuration $\Delta f/\Delta L=+13$ kHz mm⁻¹ is achieved. The dynamic properties and operation algorithm of the FTS are studied and experimentally investigated. (paper)