A 1.8 K Test Facility for Superconducting RF Cavities

To demonstrate the feasibility of superconducting RF technology for a high energy e+/e- collider, a research and development program has begun with collaborators from Europe, Asia, and North America. The immediate goal of the R&D program is to build and operate a 50 meter-long linac at DESY with 1.3 GHz superconducting RF cavities at a temperature of 1.8 K - 2.0 K and an accelerating gradient of 15 MV/meter. The refrigeration for the test system at DESY initially will have a capacity of about 100 W at 1.8 K, distributed among three test cryostats. In a second step, refrigeration will be upgraded to 200 W at 1.8 K in order to supply the 50 meter test linac. This paper describes the cryogenics of this test system.