Date Thesis Awarded

4-2015

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Physics

Advisor

Wouter Deconinck

Committee Members

Gina Hoatson

Elizabeth Harbron

Abstract

Several methods have been employed to improve detection of field emissions in superconducting radio frequency cavities in electron beam accelerators, but each method has its limitations. We are exploring the possibility of using 3D-printed scintillating detectors for field emission detection because these detectors would allow for in-situ measurements of field emission even in areas in the cavity which have strange geometries. Field emission is the emission of electrons from a surface due to an electrostatic field, most commonly from solid surfaces in vacuum. The superconducting radio frequency (SRF) niobium cavities in Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) emit field emission electrons during operation and cavity testing. Field emissions limit the field gradient in the cavities and can hinder their performance, so better detection of where the emission occurs will help improve development of cavities for future use. We are replicating the results of the Ron group at Hebrew University, who developed a recipe for scintillating detectors with 30\% the efficiency of traditional scintillating detectors, as well as exploring the viability of an additional recipe developed by the Ron group that is thus far untested. We will measure the emission spectra of both detectors and will perform further tests to determine how well the detectors perform over time in vacuum and at low temperatures. If the detectors perform well, we will then explore how they can be best used for field emission detection in the cavities in the CEBAF.

Recommended Citation

Perrin, Alice E., "3D Printing Scintillating Detectors for Field Emission Detection in Niobium SRF Cavities" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 120.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/120