Initial commissioning results of the RTA injector

The creation of the drive beam remains one of the most challenging technical endeavours in constructing two-beam accelerators. We have begun testing the 1.2-kA, 1.0-MeV electron induction injector for the RTA experiment. The electron source is a 3.5-inch diameter, thermionic, flat-surface cathode with a maximum shroud field stress of approximately 165 kV/cm. The pulse length of the injector is approximately 250 ns, with a 120-ns flattop region. We report here measurements of the pulsed power system performance, beam voltage and current. Plans to measure the emittance and current density profile are discussed.