Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The ALS storage ring 500 MHz RF system uses two re-entrant accelerating cavities powered by a single 320kW PHILLIPS YK1305 klystron. During several years of initial operation, the RF cavities were not equipped with effective passive HOM damper systems. Longitudinal beam stability was achieved through cavity temperature control and the longitudinal feedback system (LFB), which was often operating at the edge of its capabilities. As a result, longitudinal beam stability was a significant operations issue at the ALS. During two consecutive shutdown periods (April 2002 and 2003) we installed E-type HOM dampers on the main and third harmonic cavities. These devices dramatically decreased the Q-values of the longitudinal anti-symmetric HOM modes. The next step is to damp the rest of the longitudinal HOM modes in the main cavities below the synchrotron radiation damping level. This will hopefully eliminate the need for the LFB and set the stage for a possible increase in beam current. The "waveguide" type of HOM damper was the only option that didn't significantly compromise the vacuum performance of the RF cavity. The design process and the results of the low level measurements of the new waveguide dampers are presented in this paper.