Overview of the Research Program and Capabilities at the NLCTA Test Facility

The Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA) facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory provides unique capabilities for high power testing of accelerator technology over a range of frequencies​ with multiple distinct high-power test zones in a radiation shielded bunker. NLCTA is a member of BeamNetUS, a new network of beam test facilities at national laboratories across the United States. Available tools and research capabilities at NLCTA include electron beams, lasers, radiofrequency sources at S-band and X-band, and infrastructure for accelerator component R&D and cryogenic testing. The X-band Test Accelerator (XTA), a stand-alone high-power X-band beamline​ with a photo-injector, produces an electron beam with tens of picocoulomb and up to 70 MeV for experiments at NLCTA, including acceleration structure testing with beam and irradiation of samples. Experiments conducted at NLCTA have demonstrated new techniques in beam physics, tested novel accelerator structures for discovery science, national security, and medical applications, and provided a testbed for detector development with electron beam irradiation.