A liquid Helium Submersible CCD Camera System

A compact submersible CCD camera system has been invented for operation in liquid Helium. The purpose is to provide an in situ real time diagnostic tool to coordinate the thermal and mechanical properties of test cavities with their electrical performance during applied high power RF operation. The submersible CCD camera system allows us to observe bubbles generated by the thermal conversion of liquid to gas triggered by electrical breakdown events on the interior surfaces of Niobium Superconducting Radio Frequency cavities. This can serve as a diagnostic for locating problem areas in the niobium structure such as defective welds or other material properties. It can also allow us to evaluate the cavity design as compared to the actual RF behavior in operating conditions. The camera system has been successfully tested in liquid Nitrogen. This system will be tested in liquid Helium.

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