The Compact Linear Accelerator Program at Sandia National Laboratories

The authors describe the original PTO (prototype accelerator) design and results, the modulator experiments and results, and the next-generation cavity design. It is pointed out that Sandia´s Compact Linear Accelerator Program is in a period of transition, shifting from experiments on the PTO accelerator to investigations of switch/modulator options for the next-generation accelerator (CASSANDRA). Information gathered from the PTO accelerator will be combined with prototype cavity experiments before completing the CASSANDRA design. Switch options for the 20-50 MHz modulator required for CASSANDRA have been identified; these include the photoconductive semiconductor switch, a gated vacuum triode, the scanned E-beam oscillator, and the commercially available PULSATRON