INFN-LNF Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati
Great milestone achieved for the TEX facility: the high-power test of the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB prototype has been successfully completed!
In the past weeks, at the TEX facility of the Frascati National Laboratory (LNF), a pioneering test was conducted marking a significant step forward in technological research. The first prototype of a 12 GHz X-band radiofrequency structure of EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB has successfully passed the preliminary test, reaching the accelerating gradients required for EuPRAXIA operations. This 0.2 m long RF prototype with 20 cells, a precursor to a final 1-meter-long structure, was designed at the INFN laboratory and showed excellent performance in this initial test.
An input radiofrequency pulse to the structure of 35 MW power and a duration of 100 ns, at a 50 Hz repetition frequency, generated by the TEX power source, allowed to achieve an average gradient along the structure of 74 MV/m and a peak gradient of 80 MV/m at the entrance. Following the upgrade of the TEX facility, testing of this prototype will continue to further push its performance boundaries and explore the possibility of reaching even higher gradients. These results not only validate the design but also pave the way for EuPRAXIA, future project of LNF.
EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB once again proves to be a cutting-edge project. Stay tuned to follow our exciting journey towards the future of particle accelerators!