Status Report on the University of Maryland Electron Ring Accelerator Project

The final concept, engineering design, and present status of the University of Maryland ERA Project is reviewed. A hollow cylindrical electron beam is produced by an injector which was designed by W. Lupton and coworkers of the Naval Research Laboratory in collaboration with members of the Maryland ERA group (design values: maximum energy 5 MeV, peak current 20 kA, pulse width 20 ns). The hollow beam is compressed into a short ring via transmission through a cusped static magnetic field configuration. The laboratory housing the facility was ready in June, 1972, construction of the injector was completed in September. Testing of the injector and assembly of the cusp and compressor coil system began in October. A first electron beam was obtained on February 22. The main results of injector, diode, and magnetic field measurements are presented. Some problems and solutions are discussed and the methods for gas loading and ring trapping are described.