Beam Self-fields Research Articles

Emittance Variation of a High-Current Relativistic Electron Beam in a Bend Magnet

The article presents the investigation results on the main angular divergence sources of a high-current relativistic electron beam when it passes through a real 12° bend magnet of the transport system in the linear induction accelerator (LIA), being developed by collaboration of Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP), Novosibirsk, Russia, and Russian Federal Nuclear Center—Zababakhin All-Russia Research Institute of Technical Physics (RFNC-VNIITF). The main results of the work are the calculated trajectories of the beam electrons, the shape of its cross section, as well as the change in the normalized emittance of the beam as it passes through the region of the bend magnet. It was shown that at typical beam parameters—electron energy of 20 MeV, beam current of 2 kA, and beam radius of 2 cm—the emittance of a high-current relativistic electron beam with uniform current and charge densities after the bend element is determined mostly by the magnet aberrations and much less by the beam self-fields. Optimization of the dipole magnet geometry made it possible to achieve a substantial decrease in the beam emittance with geometric expansion of the magnet in the median plane of the beam.

Extremely Dense Gamma-Ray Pulses in Electron Beam-Multifoil Collisions.

Sources of high-energy photons have important applications in almost all areas of research. However, the photon flux and intensity of existing sources is strongly limited for photon energies above a few hundred keV. Here we show that a high-current ultrarelativistic electron beam interacting with multiple submicrometer-thick conducting foils can undergo strong self-focusing accompanied by efficient emission of gamma-ray synchrotron photons. Physically, self-focusing and high-energy photon emission originate from the beam interaction with the near-field transition radiation accompanying the beam-foil collision. This near field radiation is of amplitude comparable with the beam self-field, and can be strong enough that a single emitted photon can carry away a significant fraction of the emitting electron energy. After beam collision with multiple foils, femtosecond collimated electron and photon beams with number density exceeding that of a solid are obtained. The relative simplicity, unique properties, and high efficiency of this gamma-ray source open up new opportunities for both applied and fundamental research including laserless investigations of strong-field QED processes with a single electron beam.

The Cooling Effect of Beam Self-Fields on the Photocathode Surface in High Gradient RF Injectors

The intrinsic slice emittance of the emitted electrons on the photocathode surface at each moment during the transient photoemission process depends on the transverse size of the slice and the mean kinetic energy of the electrons within the slice. The latter relies on the surface barrier potentials of the cathode material at a fixed wavelength of the incident light, and is thus significantly influenced by the presence of strong rf and beam self-fields at /close to the cathode surface. This is, in particular, the case in high brightness injectors for modern free electron lasers. In this article, the beam self-fields are determined in a self-consistent approach, based on which improved transverse and temporal emission distributions are obtained. The nonlinear correlations of the intrinsic surface slice emittance within the bunch are shown for multiple bunch charges. A peak to peak variation of the intrinsic surface emittance is estimated as 30% for the highest charge-density case considered in this paper. An overall reduction of the average intrinsic emittance is computed as 10% accordingly. The cooling effect on the cathode surface is enhanced as the local space-charge density rises. The impacts of the cooling effect on downstream beam qualities are demonstrated through particle tracking simulations based on the injector setup at the Photo Injector Test Facility at DESY in Zeuthen (PITZ).

Interaction of a relativistic electron beam with a laser pulse in the presence of a magnetized plasma medium

Significant progress has been made using plasma channels to guide relativistic e-beams in magnetostatic wiggler free-electron lasers (FELs). In this regard, we study the interaction of an intense laser pulse (as a laser wiggler) with a relativistic electron beam embedded in a background of magnetized plasma. The short wavelength of the laser wiggler ( ∼ µm) allows a higher radiation frequency to be obtained than from conventional magnetostatic wigglers. Laser-plasma interaction in a magnetized plasma channel has been studied. Numerical results reveal that the laser self-focusing and self-compression can be enhanced with increasing the external axial magnetic field strength, which leads to a decrease in the spot size of the laser beam. Hence, we employ the laser beam as a suitable laser wiggler in a FEL-device. Injection of plasma in the interaction region of a laser-wiggler-FEL suggests the possibility of producing short wavelengths ( ∼ x-ray) using lower energy beams ( ∼ O(10) MeV). Furthermore, this configuration has a higher tunability by controlling the plasma density in addition to the e-beam energy tunability of the conventional FELs. Effects of the external axial guide magnetic field and plasma medium on the gain of the FEL have been studied. It is found that by increasing the plasma frequency the FEL-gain increases. The effects of e-beam self-electric and self-magnetic fields on the laser gain have also been investigated in the presence of various plasma frequencies. The results indicate that in the presence of beam self-fields, the sensitivity of the gain increases in the vicinity of resonance regions. Besides, the normalized wiggler-induced self-magnetic field has been obtained which reveals that it is a positive parameter, i.e., it can act as a paramagnetic correction to the wiggler magnetic field, therefore, the gain enhancement can be due to the paramagnetic effect of the self-magnetic field. This concept opens a path toward a new source of soft x-ray pulse based on table-top plasma loaded laser wigglers.

Interaction of energetic electrons with dust whistler-mode waves in magnetospheric dusty plasmas

In this Letter, a new conceptual approach has been presented to investigate the interaction of energetic electrons with dust whistler-mode waves in magnetospheric dusty (complex) plasmas. Dust whistler-mode waves generated in the presence of charged dust grains in the magnetized dusty plasma, can scatter the launched electrons into the loss-cone leading to precipitation into the upper atmosphere which is an important loss process in the radiation belts and provides a major source of energy for the diffuse and pulsating aurora. To study the scattered electrons and chaotic regions, a Hamiltonian model of the electron-dust wave interaction has been employed in the magnetospheric plasma by considering the launched electron beam self-fields. Numerical simulations indicate that an electron beam interacting with the whistler-mode wave can easily trigger chaos in the dust-free plasma, while in the presence of dust charged grains in the plasma, the chaotic regions are quenched to some extent in the magnetosphere. Consequently, the rate of scattered electrons into the loss-cone reduces for the regions that the dust grains are present.

Comparative study of electron motion and stability for different focusing regimes in a free-electron laser with three-dimensional helical wiggler

Since the electromagnetic energy gained by the laser wave in a free-electron laser (FEL) is transferred from the kinetic energy loss of a relativistic electron beam, the stability of electron motion is one of the key factors that affect FEL performance. In this paper the stability of electron motion is compared for different focusing regimes. It is demonstrated that the natural focusing regime of a three-dimensional wiggler is easily broken by the self-field of the electron beam. The magnetic focusing regime of an axial guide magnetic field is based on the superposition of a strong Larmor rotation on the transverse quiver motion of the electrons, while the electric focusing regime of an ion-channel guiding field generates an electric force to counteract the divergent effect of the beam self-field. In comparison with the magnetic focusing regime of an external magnetic system, the electric focusing regime of an ion-channel guiding field may yield smaller instantaneous Larmor radius and slighter Larmor-centre deviation from the axis and provide better motion stability.

Erratum to: Effects of electron beam velocity spread, temperature, and self-fields on dispersion relation and growth rate in a Cherenkov radiation

We study the effects of electron beam velocity spread, temperature, and self-fields on dispersion relation and growth rate in a Cherenkov radiation when an axial magnetic field is present. A generalized dispersion relation is derived and shown that in addition to cyclotron, FEL, and beam modes there are two other modes which are induced by thermal velocity of electron beam. For cyclotron mode, the effects of electron beam self-fields on the growth rate are investigated and shown that the growth rate in the presence of self-fields has a maximum value which is considerably greater than the saturation value of growth rate in the absence of self-fields. The optimum value of axial magnetic field at which the maximum growth can take place is determined for different electron beam densities. Then the effects of electron beam velocity spread and temperature on growth rate are studied and it is found that the electron beam temperature causes an increment in growth rate, while the velocity spread of electron beam has an opposite effect.

Effects of electron beam velocity spread, temperature, and self-fields on dispersion relation and growth rate for a Cherenkov radiation

We study the effects of electron beam velocity spread, temperature, and self-fields on dispersion relation and growth rate in a Cherenkov radiation when an axial magnetic field is present. A generalized dispersion relation is derived and shown that in addition to cyclotron, FEL, and beam modes there are two other modes which are induced by thermal velocity of electron beam. For cyclotron mode, the effects of electron beam self-fields on the growth rate are investigated and shown that the growth rate in the presence of self-fields has a maximum value which is considerably greater than the saturation value of growth rate in the absence of self-fields. The optimum value of axial magnetic field at which the maximum growth can take place is determined for different electron beam densities. Then the effects of electron beam velocity spread and temperature on growth rate are studied and it is found that the electron beam temperature causes an increment in growth rate, while the velocity spread of electron beam has an opposite effect.

Effects of electron beam temperature on radiation growth rate in a realistic helical wiggler with ion-channel guiding

We study the effects of electron beam parameters such as electron beam temperature and Lorentz relativistic factor (or electron energy) on growth rate in a realistic (three-dimensional) helical wiggler free-electron laser with ion-channel guiding. A generalized dispersion relation is derived by considering the interaction between the radiation fields and electron beam when the effects of electron beam self-fields are taken into account. The growth rate is then calculated, and it is found that, for group I orbits, there is an optimum value for electron beam density at which the growth rate goes to its maximum. Also, there is an optimum value for Lorentz relativistic factor. The effect of beam temperature is also investigated, and it is shown that the growth rate decreases considerably as beam temperature increases.

Self-field effects on instability of wave modes in a two-stream free-electron laser with an axial magnetic field

Free electron lasers (FEL) play major roles in the Raman Regime, due to the charge and current densities of the beam self-field. The method of perturbation has been applied to study the influence of self-electric and self-magnetic fields. A dispersion relation for two-stream free electron lasers with a helical wiggler and an axial magnetic field has been found. This dispersion relation is solved numerically to investigate the influence of self-fields on the FEL coupling and the two-stream instability. It was found that self-fields can produce very large effects on the FEL coupling, but they have almost negligible effects on two-stream instability.

Influence of the Beam Self-Fields on the Dispersion Characteristics of EM Waves in a Dielectric Waveguide Filled with Plasma

Considering the self-fields of relativistic electron beam (REB), the electron beam injected in plasma will form an ion-channel, which can stably guide REB transmitted in plasma. Based on the effect of ion-channel, the EM dispersion characteristics in a dielectric waveguide filled with plasmas is studied by using linear electromagnetic (EM) hydrodynamics perturbation theory. Both the TM mode dispersion equation and the dispersion relation are derived. After that, a discussion on the conditions of Cherenkov radiation in this system is given. It was found that the betatron oscillation of the REB is one of the important factors for the slow-wave EM instability in this system. The dispersion relation is of the form of electromagnetic-electrostatic (EM-ES) hybrid mode, which is different from the case where the effect of the ion channel is neglected.

Dispersion relation and growth rate in a Cherenkov free electron laser: Finite axial magnetic field

A theoretical analysis is presented for dispersion relation and growth rate in a Cherenkov free electron laser with finite axial magnetic field. It is shown that the growth rate and the resonance frequency of Cherenkov free electron laser increase with increasing axial magnetic field for low axial magnetic fields, while for high axial magnetic fields, they go to a saturation value. The growth rate and resonance frequency saturation values are exactly the same as those for infinite axial magnetic field approximation. The effects of electron beam self-fields on growth rate are investigated, and it is shown that the growth rate decreases in the presence of self-fields. It is found that there is an optimum value for electron beam density and Lorentz relativistic factor at which the maximum growth rate can take place. Also, the effects of velocity spread of electron beam are studied and it is found that the growth rate decreases due to the electron velocity spread.

Free-electron laser with a plasma wave wiggler propagating through a magnetized plasma channel

A plasma eigenmode has been employed as a wiggler in a magnetized plasma channel for the generation of laser radiation in a free-electron laser. The short wavelength of the plasma wave allows a higher radiation frequency to be obtained than from conventional wiggler free-electron lasers. The plasma can significantly slow down the radiation mode, thereby relaxing the beam energy requirement considerably. In addition, it allows a beam current in excess of the vacuum current limit via charge neutralization. This configuration has a higher tunability by controlling the plasma density in addition to the γ-tunability of the standard FEL. The laser gain has been calculated and numerical computations of the electron trajectories and gain are presented. Four groups (I–IV) of electron orbits have been found. It has been shown that by increasing the cyclotron frequency, the gain for orbits of group I and group III increases, while a decrease in gain has been obtained for orbits of group II and group IV. Similarly, the effect of plasma density on gain has been exhibited. The results indicate that with increasing plasma density, the orbits of all groups shift to higher cyclotron frequencies. The effects of beam self-fields on gain have also been demonstrated. It has been found that in the presence of beam self-fields the sensitivity of the gain increases substantially in the vicinity of gyroresonance. Here, the gain enhancement and reduction are due to the paramagnetic and diamagnetic effects of the self-magnetic field, respectively.

Focusing effect and modulation mechanism of the beam self-fields on the electronʼs Larmor rotation in a free-electron laser with an axial guide magnetic field

It is revealed that at anti-resonance in a free-electron laser with a reversed guide magnetic field, the beam self-fields can act to focus the beam transport and prevent the electrons from striking on the waveguide wall before the wiggler exit. It is found that the focusing function results from the modulation of the periodically-varying self-field tangential and normal components on the electronʼs Larmor rotation. As a potential application, substantial improvement of the wave gain and output power at anti-resonance could be expected, since the beam current loss can be obviated by using this modulation mechanism. ► Beam self-field periodically acts on an electron with off-axis guiding center. ► This periodic varying field modulates the electronʼs Larmor rotation. ► Modulation results in a focusing effect on the e-beam transport at anti-resonance. ► Remarkable focusing effect relies on the beam current parameter.

Enhanced collective focusing of intense neutralized ion beam pulses in the presence of weak solenoidal magnetic fields

The design of ion drivers for warm dense matter and high energy density physics applications and heavy ion fusion involves transverse focusing and longitudinal compression of intense ion beams to a small spot size on the target. To facilitate the process, the compression occurs in a long drift section filled with a dense background plasma, which neutralizes the intense beam self-fields. Typically, the ion bunch charge is better neutralized than its current, and as a result a net self-pinching (magnetic) force is produced. The self-pinching effect is of particular practical importance, and is used in various ion driver designs in order to control the transverse beam envelope. In the present work we demonstrate that this radial self-focusing force can be significantly enhanced if a weak (B ∼ 100 G) solenoidal magnetic field is applied inside the neutralized drift section, thus allowing for substantially improved transport. It is shown that in contrast to magnetic self-pinching, the enhanced collective self-focusing has a radial electric field component and occurs as a result of the overcompensation of the beam charge by plasma electrons, whereas the beam current becomes well-neutralized. As the beam leaves the neutralizing drift section, additional transverse focusing can be applied. For instance, in the neutralized drift compression experiments (NDCX) a strong (several Tesla) final focus solenoid is used for this purpose. In the present analysis we propose that the tight final focus in the NDCX experiments may possibly be achieved by using a much weaker (few hundred Gauss) magnetic lens, provided the ion beam carries an equal amount of co-moving neutralizing electrons from the preceding drift section into the lens. In this case the enhanced focusing is provided by the collective electron dynamics strongly affected by a weak applied magnetic field.

Emittance growth and halo formation in the relaxation of mismatched beams

In this paper, a simplified theoretical model that allows prediction of the final stationary state attained by an initially mismatched beam is presented. The proposed stationary state has a core-halo distribution. Based on the incompressibility of the Vlasov phase-space dynamics, the core behaves as a completely degenerate Fermi gas, where the particles occupy the lowest possible energy states accessible to them. On the other hand, the halo is given by a tenuous uniform distribution that extends up to a maximum energy determined by the core-particle resonance. This leads to a self-consistent model in which the beam density and self-fields can be determined analytically. The theory allows one to estimate the emittance growth and the fraction of particles that evaporate to the halo in the relaxation process. Self-consistent $N$-particle simulation results are also presented and are used to verify the theory.

Hollow beam formation in the intense multi-component heavy ion beam caused by beam self-field

The simulation of the hollow beam formation in the intense multi-component ion beam from ECR source is fulfilled. The influence of the helium and hydrogen beam current on the argon and calcium ions dynamics has been studied.

Analysis of space charge fields using Lienard–Wiechert potentials and the method of images in the RF-free electron laser photoinjectors

Based on Lienard–Wiechert retarded potentials and the potential due to a beam-induced image charge on the cathode, a rigorous relativistic description of a beam transport inside an RF-photoinjector is presented. Velocity-dependent effects are explicitly taken into account. Simulations are presented for parameters appropriate to the ELSA photocathode where velocity-dependent effects are particularly important. These simulations reveal that at the center of the cathode ( r=0, z=0) the beam's self-field and the field driven by the charges image on the cathode are equal. However, the self-field of the beam is dominated by the field due to the charges image on the cathode as one moves from the tail to the head of the beam. Far from the cathode, the self-field becomes the dominant one.

Overview of theory and modeling in the heavy ion fusion virtual national laboratory

This article presents analytical and simulation studies of intense heavy ion beam propagation, including the injection, acceleration, transport and compression phases, and beam transport and focusing in background plasma in the target chamber. Analytical theory and simulations that support the High Current Experiment (HCX), the Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX), and the advanced injector development program, are being used to provide a basic understanding of the nonlinear beam dynamics and collective processes, and to develop design concepts for the next-step Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX), an Integrated Research Experiment (IRE), and a heavy ion fusion driver. Three-dimensional nonlinear perturbative simulations have been applied to collective instabilities driven by beam temperature anisotropy, and to two-stream interactions between the beam ions and any unwanted background electrons; three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of the 2-MV electrostatic quadrupole (ESQ) injector have clarified the influence of pulse rise time; analytical studies and simulations of the drift compression process have been carried out; syntheses of a four-dimensional particle distribution function from phase-space projections have been developed; and studies of the generation and trapping of stray electrons in the beam self-fields have been performed. Particle-in-cell simulations, involving preformed plasma, are being used to study the influence of charge and current neutralization on the focusing of the ion beam in NTX and in a fusion chamber.

3D electromagnetic PIC simulations of relativistic electron pulse injections from spacecraft

Relativistic electron beam accelerators (5 MeV, 0.1 A) can now be flown on spacecraft. Injection from low-Earth-orbit into the atmosphere makes it possible to perform active perturbation experiments in the 40–60 km altitude range. These include modification of the atmospheric electric potential structure over thunderstorm regions and the possible stimulation of high-altitude-lightning, as well as studies of relativistic electron precipitation effects on chemical reaction paths. In this paper, the initial stage of the beam injection process is simulated by a fully electromagnetic and relativistic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code. The self-consistent implementation of electric charging of a spacecraft structure in an electromagnetic code is demonstrated, and beam propagation dynamics is explored for a range of beam to ambient plasma densities. It is shown that the combined effects of ambient plasma and beam self-fields may allow propagation in the ion-focused regime and that this regime primarily is expected for relativistic beams.