Design and testing of a high gradient radio frequency cavity for the muon collider

This thesis describes the design and testing of a high gradient RF cavity for the muon cooling channel of the muon collider. The 805 MHz multi-cell open iris cavity was high power tested with a 12 MW klystron in a superconducting solenoid environment. The cavity reached 21 MV/m for peak klystron power in the absence of the solenoidal field. During magnetic field operation, the cavity suffered serious surface damage and RF breakdown. Dark current in excess of 400 mA was observed. Present R&D results imply that the cavity is not suitable for the muon collider.