Modification of the PROTO-II accelerator power flow for multi-purpose use

Abstract : PROTO-II is a nominal 10 TW, 320 kJ accelerator which has been used to study imploding plasma physics for the last few years. The machine has been modified to make it useful as a bremsstrahlung radiation source and to lower the inductance for better energy coupling to gas puff loads. The triplate water transmission line has been converted to a 4-line horizontal 8-plate transformer section feeding a 4-layer insulator stack, using a multiple rod crossover network. Hinged plates allow a constant impedance transmission line for gas puff applications and make a 2:1 impedance transformer for bremsstrahlung applications. For Gas Puff operation, vertical MITLs connect the 4-layer stack to the load. For bremsstrahlung operation, conical MITL plates connect each of the four lines to feed one side of a 2-cathode ring electron beam diode. Circuit simulations of the power flow predict up to 270 kJ of energy at 1.0 MV into the Gas Puff diode and up to 230 kJ at 1 .5 MV into the electron beam diode. Accelerator performance under the new configuration is discussed.