At the S-DALINAC, Norbert Pietralla’s team has succeeded for the first time in measuring directly the reduction of energy consumption by a particle accelerator due to the reuse of previously applied energy in a two-fold energy recovery mode: Electrons were sent twice through the main accelerator for double acceleration by using recirculation beamlines. Following the double acceleration, a phase shift was implemented, so that the electrons were decelerated again during the following two main accelerator passes. The recovery of energy during deceleration allows higher beam currents and thus higher beam powers to be achieved. This development enables future large-scale projects, such as LHeC at CERN, which would not be technically and economically feasible without the energy recovery technology.

Further details on the realisation and the results achieved can be found in the publication in Nature Physics and this feature.