HOM ABSORBERS FOR ERL CRYOMODULES AT BNL*

The physics needs and technical requirements for several future accelerator projects at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) all involve electron Energy Recovery Linacs (ERL). The required high-current, high-charge operating parameters make effective higher-order-mode (HOM) damping mandatory and the development of HOM dampers for a prototypical five-cell cavity is actively pursued. An experimental five-cell niobium cavity with ferrite dampers has been constructed, and effective HOM damping has been demonstrated at room-and superconducting (SC) temperatures. A novel type of ferrite damper around a ceramic break has been developed for the ERL electron gun and prototype tests are also reported. Contemplated future projects are based on assembling a chain of superconducting cavities in a common cryomodule with the dampers placed in the cold space between the cavities, imposing severe longitudinal space constraints. Various damper configurations have been studied by placing them between two five-cell copper cavities. Measured and simulated copper cavity results, external Q-values of possible dampers and fundamental mode losses are presented