Design, Fabrication, and Test of a 175 MHz, β = 0.18, Half Wave Resonator for the IFMIF-DONES SRF-Linac

International audienceThe IFMIF-DONES facility will serve as a fusion-like neutron source for the assessment of materials damage in future fusion reactors. The neutron flux will be generated by the interaction between the lithium curtain and the deuteron beam from an RF linear accelerator at 40 MeV and nominal CW current of 125 mA. The last accelerating stage is a superconducting (SRF) Linac hosting five cryomodules. This SRF-Linac is equipped of two types of 175 MHz half wave superconducting cavities (HWRs). The first type of cavities (cryomodules 1 and 2), characterized by beta equal to 0.11, have been studied and qualified in the frame of IFMIF/EVEDA project. The development of the second type of cavities (cryomodules 3, 4 and 5), with higher beta of 0.18 is presented in this paper. A prototype has been designed, fabricated and tested in a vertical cryostat at CEA. The measured quality factor at nominal accelerating field (4.5 MV/m) is 2.3 10⁹ and keeps higher than 109 up to 10 MV/m, which gives confidence in the cavity design and preparation to reach the expected performances after integration in the SRF linac