Spatially resolved dark current in high gradient traveling wave structures

High-gradient accelerating structures are known to produce field-emitted current from regions of high surface field, which are captured and accelerated by the fields within the structure. This current is routinely measured in structures under test in the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) high-gradient test stands using Faraday cups. This paper presents a novel technique to spatially resolve the longitudinal distribution of field emitted current by analysing downstream Faraday cup signals when the structure is fed with RF pulses much shorter than its filling time. Results from this method applied to X-band cavities operating at 100 MV/m are presented, and are compared to breakdown position distributions. A decay in emitted current as conditioning progressed in regions with a low breakdown rate and large jumps in regions with a large breakdown rate are observed.