Kicker systems

Each stage of an accelerator system has a limited dynamic range and therefore a chain of stages is required to reach high energy. A combination of septa and kicker magnets is frequently used to inject and extract beam from each stage. The kicker magnets typically produce rectangular field pulses with fast rise- and/or fall-times, however, the field strength is relatively low. To compensate for their relatively low field strength, the kicker magnets are generally combined with electromagnetic septa. The septa provide relatively strong field strength but are either DC or slow pulsed. This paper discusses injection and extraction systems with particular emphasis on the hardware required for the kicker system. Design options and computer aided design tools are also discussed. In addition the interaction of the beam with the kicker system, primarily the kicker magnet, is considered.