Fast and reliable kicker magnets for the SLC damping rings

The design, construction, and operation of a kicker magnet with superior electromagnetic performance and greatly improved radiation tolerance is described. A short flux return of high mu ferrite improves the field strength and linearity with current, and novel metallic field-confining structures minimize the inductance. An 8-cell structure with capacitance integrated into each cell makes the magnet a nearly perfect transmission line. The capacitor dielectric is 1 cm thick alumina-loaded epoxy, processed to eliminate air voids, and cast in a multiple step procedure developed to circumvent epoxy shrinkage. The magnet operates with pulses of up to 40 kV and 3.2 kA at 120 Hz, with magnet transit times of less than 35 nsec and field rise and fall times of less than 60 nsec