750 MHz radio frequency quadrupole with trapezoidal vanes for carbon ion therapy

High-frequency linear accelerators are very suitable for carbon ion therapy, thanks to the reduced operational costs and the high beam quality with respect to synchrotrons, which are presently the only available technology for this application. In the framework of the development of a new linac for carbon ion therapy, this article describes the design of a compact 750 MHz radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) with trapezoidal vanes. A new semianalytic approach to design the trapezoidal-vane RFQ is introduced together with the relevant beam dynamics properties. The RFQ is split into two decoupled rf cavities, both of which make use of a novel dipole detuning technique by means of length adjustment. The splitting is described both from the rf and the beam dynamics point of view. The paper concludes with the rf design of the full structure, including maximum surface field and thermal studies.