No abstract

The Fermilab Electron Cooling project involves interacting a 4.3 MeV, 0.5 A DC electron beam with 8.9 GeV/c antiprotons in the FNAL Recycler Ring. This interaction occurs through a 20-meter long cooling section consisting of 10 solenoid modules. This cooling process would lead to an increase in the Tevatron collider luminosity needed to support RunIIb parameters. There are several important engineering aspects of this cooling section including: solenoid design, vacuum system design, magnetic shielding, support system, and alignment methods. Details of the engineering issues related to each of these areas will be discussed.

The technology for mechanically compensating Lorentz Force detuning in superconducting RF cavities has already been developed at DESY. One technique is based on commercial piezoelectric actuators and was successfully demonstrated on TESLA cavities [1]. Piezo actuators for fast tuners can operate in a frequency range up to several kHz; however, it is very important to maintain a constant static force (preload) on the piezo actuator in the range of 10 to 50% of its specified blocking force. Determining the preload force during cool-down, warm-up, or re-tuning of the cavity is difficult without instrumentation, and exceeding the specified range can permanently damage the piezo stack. A technique based on strain gauge technology for superconducting magnets has been applied to fast tuners for monitoring the preload on the piezoelectric assembly. The design and testing of piezo actuator preload sensor technology is discussed. Results from measurements of preload sensors installed on the tuner of the Capture Cavity II (CCII)[2] tested at FNAL are presented. These results include measurements during cool-down, warmup, and cavity tuning along with dynamic Lorentz force compensation.

Problematic resonant conditions at both 18 Hz and 180 Hz were encountered and identified early during the commissioning of Capture Cavity II (CC2) at Fermilab. CC2 consists of an external vacuum vessel and a superconducting high gradient (close to 25 MV/m) 9-cell 1.3 GHz niobium cavity, transported from DESY for use in the A0 Photoinjector at Fermilab. An ANSYS modal finite element analysis (FEA) was performed in order to isolate the source of the resonance and directed the effort towards stabilization. Using a fast piezoelectric tuner to excite (or shake) the cavity at different frequencies (from 5 Hz to 250 Hz) at a low-range sweep for analysis purposes. Both warm (300 K) and cold (1.8 K) accelerometer measurements at the cavity were taken as the resonant "fix" was applied. FEA results, cultural and technical noise investigation, and stabilization techniques are discussed.

The first stage of the Fermilab Electron Cooling R&D program is now complete: technology necessary to generate hundreds of milliamps of electron beam current at MeV energies has been demonstrated. Conceptual design studies show that with an electron beam current of 200 mA and with a cooling section of 20 m electron cooling in the Fermilab Recycler ring can provide antiproton stacking rates suitable for the Tevatron upgrades beyond Run II luminosity goals. A prototype of such an electron cooling system is now being built at Fermilab as part of the continuing R&D program. This paper describes the electron cooling system design as well as the status of the Fermilab electron cooling R&D program.