Three-dimensional calculations for a 4 kA, 3.5 MV, 2 microsecond injector with asymmetric power feed

The DARHT-2 accelerator under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory requires a long flattop (2μs) 2–4 kA, 3.5 MV, low-emittance electron beam source. The injector is being constructed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and consists of a large-area thermionic cathode mounted atop a vertical column. The 90° bend between the horizontally emitted beam and the column produces dipole and higher-pole fields which must be corrected. In addition, the fast rise of the current flowing into the vacuum tank excites rf modes which cause transverse oscillations of the beam centroid. We have modeled these effects with the 3D electromagnetic code lsp. The code has models for pulsed power transmission lines, space-charge-limited emission and transport of charged particles, externally applied magnetic fields, and frequency-dependent absorption of rf. We calculate the transverse displacement of the beam as a function of time during the current pulse, and the positioning and thickness of ferrite absorber needed to damp the rf modes. The numerical results are compared to analytic calculations.