The CLIC RF power source: a novel scheme of two-beam acceleration for electron-positron linear colliders

We discuss a new approach to two-beam acceleration. The energy for RF production is initially stored in a long-pulse electron beam which is efficiently accelerated to about 1.2 GeV by a fully loaded conventional, low-frequency (approx. 1 GHz) linac. The beam pulse length is twice the length of the high-gradient linac. Segments of this long pulse beam are compressed using combiner rings to create a sequence of higher peak power drive-beams with gaps between. This train of drive beams is distributed from the end of the linac in the opposite direction to the main beam down a common transport line so that each drive beam can power a section of the main linac. After a 180-degree turn, each high-current, low-energy drive beam is decelerated in low-impedance decelerator structures, and the resulting power is used to accelerate the low-current, high-energy beam in the main linac. The method discussed here seems relatively inexpensive, is very flexible, and can be used to accelerate beams for linear colliders over the entire frequency and energy range.