A wave accelerator for collective ion acceleration

Aspects of the experimental program at Cornell for the generation of a large amplitude space charge wave, suitable for the demonstration of a wave particle accelerator, are presented. An account is given of the wave growth in a slow wave structure, and of the measured values of the electric field and phase velocities of the wave, after extraction into a uniform tube. The electric field measured is in excess of 30 kV/cm and the phase velocities consistent or slightly lower than the expected values. Progress towards the development of a suitable ion source for use as an injector is also summarized and experiments designed to elucidate the collective process involved are described.