| Paper | Title | Page |
|---|---|---|
| TH6REP047 | Application of Goubau Surface Wave Transmission Line for Improved Bench Testing of Diagnostic Beamline Elements | 4060 |
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In-air test fixtures for beamline elements typically utilize an X-Y positioning stage, and a wire antenna excited by an RF source. In most cases, the antenna contains a standing wave, and is useful only for coarse alignment measurements in CW mode. A surface-wave (SW) based transmission line permits RF energy to be launched on the wire, travel through the beamline component, and then be absorbed in a load. Since SW transmission lines employ traveling waves, the RF energy can be made to resemble the electron beam, limited only by ohmic losses and dispersion. Although lossy coaxial systems are also a consideration, the diameter of the coax introduces large uncertainties in centroid location. A SW wire is easily constructed out of 200 micron magnet wire, which more accurately approximates the physical profile of the electron beam. Benefits of this test fixture include accurate field mapping, absolute calibration for given beam currents, Z-axis independence, and temporal response measurements of sub-nanosecond pulse structures. Descriptions of the surface wave launching technique, transmission line, and receiver electronics are presented, along with measurement data. |