Development of characterization techniques for X-band accelerator structures

The recent effort to develop accelerator structures for the Next Linear Collider (NLC), requires an accompanying development of accurate and efficient techniques to characterize these structures at different phases of development. At SLAC, we have been developing different microwave techniques to verify predictions from computer simulations in the design phase, to insure that the machined cells are within the design tolerances, and finally, to confirm overall RF performance of the completed structure. For this final test, a semi-automated system was built to implement the bead-pulling technique under traveling-wave conditions. This technique maps the phase and amplitude of the axial electric field along the structure