RF Input Coupler for 20 K Cooled C-band 2.6-cell Photocathode RF Gun

For future use in a compact linac-driven X-ray source, a cryo-cooled C-band photocathode RF gun is under development. The RF experiment on the basic 2.6-cell test cavity has shown that the unloaded Q-value of the cavity at 20 K can be explained by the surface resistance based on the anomalous skin effect. Since the cavity was intended for preliminary experiments of the low temperature RF properties*, a new test cavity with an RF input coupler has been designed. The basic structure of the accelerating cells has not been changed from the previous cavity. Avoiding an element with a low cooling efficiency such as the inner electrode in a coaxial coupler, a simpler cylindrical input coupler has been designed. The coupler consists of a cylindrical TM01 mode waveguide and a mode converter from a rectangular TE10 mode, with both elements placed on the accelerating axis. The structure and the dimensions of the coupler have been determined using the 3-D simulation code CST Studio so that the resonant frequency of the whole system and the coupling coefficient of the coupler meet the specifications of the RF gun. The new test cavity will be completed early in 2015 at KEK.