A versatile, high-power proton linac for accelerator driven transmutation technologies

We are applying the new coupled-cavity drift-tube linac (CCDTL) to a conceptual design of a high-current, CW accelerator for transmutation applications. A 350-MHz RFQ followed by 700-MHz structures accelerates a 100-mA proton beam to 1 GeV. Several advantages stem from four key features: (1) a uniform focusing lattice from the start of the CCDTL at about 7 MeV to the end of the linac, (2) external location and separate mechanical support of the electromagnetic quadrupole magnets, (3) very flexible modular physics design and mechanical implementation, and (4) compact, high-frequency structures. These features help to reduce beam loss and, hence, also reduce potential radioactivation of the structure. They result in easy alignment, fast serviceability, and high beam availability. Beam funneling, if necessary, is possible at any energy after the RFQ