Application of Microwave Methods for Characterization of NEG Coatings and Obstacle Detection in Accelerator Beam-pipes

In many particle accelerators, including the LHC at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN, NEG coatings are used to improve vacuum performance. In other particle accelerators there have been hints that those coatings could have a relevant impact on the beam coupling impedance, however the data available is contradictory. To clarify the possible impact of NEG coatings the electromagnetic properties have been measured. The measurements have been carried out by means of cavity perturbation method. The second part of this thesis deals with the microwave waveguide reflectometer developed at CERN several years ago, which is used as part of the quality assurance test program for the LHC assembly. To ensure optimum operation and to avoid an expensive removal of any foreign object from inside the LHC beam-screen after its completion, microwave reflectometry is performed. Until now several objects have been found by means of reflectometry, but so far neither precise data about the reflections of different foreign objects, nor the precise limits of the system are known.