A compact high-power proton linac for radioisotope production

Abstract

Conventional designs for proton linacs use a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ), followed by a drift-tube linac (DTL). For higher final beam energies, a coupled cavity linac (CCL) follows the DTL. A new structure, the coupled-cavity drift-tube linac (CCDTL) combines features of an Alvarez DTL and the CCL. Operating in a /spl pi//2 structure mode, the CCDTL replaces the DTL and part of the CCL for particle velocities in the range 0.1/spl les//spl beta//spl les/0.5. We present a design concept for a compact linac using only an RFQ and a CCDTL. This machine delivers a few mA of average beam current at a nominal energy of 70 MeV and is well suited for radioisotope production.