An electron accelerator demonstrator to characterize energy recovery will be built in France by IN2P3. An Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) exploits the energy of beams circulating in the machine after they have been used, to accelerate subsequent beams, continuously injected into the accelerator. The ERL concept minimizes energy consumption during operation of the installation to reach unprecedented levels of energy efficiency.

Within the framework of France2030 and the RI2 program (Recherche à risque) launched by CNRS, the first section of the world’s most powerful ERL electron accelerator demonstrator will be built in Orsay. In the first stage, the high intensity electron source, based on a DC photo gun (350 kV), will be implemented as well as an associated photocathode preparation facility. When successful, the full injector will be built to tailor the beam in time and space and accelerate it with a first cryomodule (booster), up to 7 MeV. This injector will then be used to perform beam tests on the linac cryomodule developped within iSAS.