Development of a Compact Radiography Accelerator Using Dielectric Wall Accelerator Technology

We are developing a compact accelerator system primarily intended for pulsed radiography. Design characteristics are an 8 MeV endpoint energy, 2 kA beam current, and a cell gradient of approximately 3 MV/m: overall accelerator length is 2-3 m. Such designs have been made possible with the development of high specific energy dielectrics (> 10J/cm³), specialized transmission line designs and multi-gap laser triggered low jitter (< 1 ns) gas switches. In this geometry, the pulse forming lines, switches, and insulator/beam pipe are fully integrated within each cell to form a compact, stand-alone, stackable unit. We detail our research and modeling to date, recent high voltage test results, and the integration concept of the cells into a radiographic system.