RF breakdown studies in copper electron linac structures

The authors present a summary of RF breakdown-limited electric fields observed in experimental linac structures at SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) and a discussion of how these experiments can be interpreted against the background of existing, yet incomplete, theories. The motivation of these studies, begun in 1984, is to determine the maximum accelerating field gradients that can be used safely in future e/sup +or-/ colliders, to contribute to the basic understanding of the RF breakdown mechanism, and to discover whether a special surface treatment can make it possible to supersede the field limits presently attainable room-temperature copper structures.<
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