RF Design of a High-frequency RFQ Linac for PIXE Analysis

Protons with an energy of few MeV are commonly used for Ion Beam Analysis of materials, in particular with the Proton Induced X-ray Emission technique (PIXE). Because of its non-damaging character, PIXE is used in a variety of fields, in particular for the diagnosis of cultural heritage artwork. A compact accelerator based on a high frequency RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) linac has been designed and is being built at CERN. The length of the RFQ is only one meter and it allows the acceleration of a proton beam up to an energy of 2 MeV. The complete system is conceived to be transportable, allowing PIXE analysis almost anywhere. This paper covers the RF design of the compact RFQ operating at 750 MHz. We present general accelerator parameters and the current state of the RF design, which includes RFQ geometry and coupler design, thermal simulation and first particle tracking results.