Development of Multiple Beam Guns for High Power RF Sources for Accelerators and Colliders

There is a need for high power RF sources for the next generation of accelerators and colliders. Sources that operate at reduced beam voltage allow solid state power supplies with significant cost reduction over conventional pulse modulators. Multiple beam RF sources provide reduced beam voltage by using a multiplicity of beamlets that traverse the RF circuit through individual beam tunnels, reducing the space charge forces that drive the voltage requirement. The current generation of multiple beam devices typically use Brillouin focusing, which limits high power operation. The devices reported here utilize confined flow focusing which allows much tighter control of the electron beamlets and consequently, higher power operation. Progress in the development of a 100 MW multiple beam electron gun with confined flow focusing is reported.