The existing 40 MeV drift tube LINAC and RF cavities have been replaced by an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source embedded in a 200 kV high-voltage terminal and induction acceleration cells, respectively.
The induction acceleration method, integrating modern pulse power technology and state-of-art digital control, is crucial for the rapid-cycle KEK-DA.
The intense ion beam can also alter material properties in diamond when shot into it to change the crystalline structure, making an insulator a conductor.
Because heavy ions transfer energy to their surroundings much more efficiently than gamma-rays or X-rays, a digital accelerator will also make an excellent tool to induce mutations, by breaking off the DNA's double helix.
Combining induced mutation with genetic engineering is a promising approach to developing crops with larger yields of food and biofuels.
On the other hand, astrophysicists plan to use the digital accelerator technology to create high-temperature, high-pressure conditions like those in Jupiter's core.