The transverse Rf accelerator

High electric fields are obviously advantageous in powerful electron accelerators: for a given energy gain per particle, the device length is inversely proportional to the maximum field; and the maximum current is roughly proportional to the field. The transverse RF accelerator provides a high field strength by using an accelerator cavity analogous to an optical resonator: the focussing of electromagnetic energy produces large fields along the cavity axis for manageable fields at the wall. In addition, it is possible to have the fields largely transverse, permitting very high accelerating gradients. This report discusses two basic topics: the field structure as related to the acceleration mechanism, and limitation on the electric field strength.