Photocathode RF Gun Research Articles

Hybrid high-energy high-power pulsewidth-tunable picosecond source.

A hybrid ytterbium-doped fiber-bulk laser source allowing the generation of 3 ps, 350 μJ, 116 MW peak power Fourier transform-limited pulses at 50 kHz repetition rate and 1030 nm wavelength is described. Pulse duration tunability is provided by an adjustable spectral compression-based seeder system. Energy scaling capabilities of the architecture by use of the divided-pulse amplification method are investigated. This source provides a robust, compact, and versatile solution for applications such as RF photocathode guns, x- and γ-ray generation by inverse Compton scattering, and optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification pumping.

Temporal profile measurement of an electron bunch with the two-cell rf deflecting cavity at Waseda University

Our group at Waseda University developed an rf deflector system for measuring longitudinal. In this study we evaluated the temporal resolution of an S-band two-cell rf deflector cavity built into the system and performed a series of longitudinal profile measurements of electron bunch from an rf photocathode gun. The rf deflector system achieved a temporal resolution of 147.6 fs (rms), the value gave in close agreement with the design specification. We present our experimental results and discussion how the temporal profile was influenced by the rf electric field and space charge effect in the electron bunch from the rf photo cathode gun. Our results agreed with the results of a beam tracking simulation. The successful results of longitudinal profile measurements in this study confirm that our deflector system will be quite useful for improving an rf electron gun cavities.

Design of low energy bunch compressors with space charge effects

In this paper, we explore a method to manipulate low energy electron bunches in a space charge dominated regime, and we use this method to design low energy linac bunch compressors to compress electron bunches in a space charge dominated regime. In the method, we use the space charge effects instead of avoiding them; i.e., we use the space charge forces to generate the required energy chirp instead of the ordinary method which uses the rf accelerating system to generate the chirp. We redefine the concepts of the dispersion function and beta functions in a space charge dominated regime to guide the optimization. Using this method, we study the low energy (5--22 MeV) linac bunch compressor design to produce short ($\ensuremath{\sim}150\text{ }\mathrm{fs}$) and small size ($\ensuremath{\sim}30\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$) bunches for the electron beam slicing project. The low energy linac bunch compressors work in a space charge dominated regime, and the bunches at the downstream of the gun have a negative energy chirp due to the space charge effects. To provide compression for the negative energy chirped bunch, we design a positive ${R}_{56}$ dispersive section using a four-dipole chicane with several quadrupole magnets. We have designed low energy linac bunch compressors with different photocathode rf guns. For example, one linac bunch compressor with the BNL photocathode electron rf gun has achieved a low energy bunch with the 166 fs rms bunch length, 28 and $31\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ rms beam size in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, at 5 MeV with 50 pC charge. Another example with LBNL's very-high frequency gun has achieved a low energy bunch with the 128 fs rms bunch length, 42 and $25\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ rms beam size in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, at 22 MeV with 200 pC charge.

Generation of quasiequally spaced ultrashort microbunches in a photocathode rf gun

A photocathode rf gun can generate trains of THz subpicosecond electron bunches by illuminating the cathode with trains of laser pulses, but it suffers from the increasing charge in the beam. The THz structure blurs and tends to disappear when the longitudinal space charge forces begin to play a significant role in the beam evolution. In this paper, we propose a scheme to restrain the space charge forces by expanding the transverse size of the laser pulses to reduce the charge density and adopting a multicell gun to increase the beam energy. Thus, quasiequally spaced ultrashort microbunches with relatively high charges can be generated according to our studies. Postacceleration can be used to freeze the longitudinal phase space dynamics. The proposed scheme is in principle able to generate intense multi-color narrow-band THz radiation and offers a promising way towards the tunable intense narrow-band THz sources.

Reduction of the higher-order field distribution in a photocathode rf gun for the X-ray free electron laser

The mechanism of the higher-order rf field elimination in the photocathode rf gun used for the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) machine is discovered. The analysis and the measurement results of the rf field in several models of the rf gun with several holes at the cavity wall are presented. The contribution of the holes to the asymmetrical distribution of the rf field along the azimuthal angle is measured with several model cavities. Using a comparison between the experimental results and the numerically-obtained rf field distribution, we can reveal that the origin of the quadrupole component growing at the cavity with two holes and of the octapole component growing at the cavity with four holes is the superposition of the rf fields in the cavity. Two kinds of model cavities with several holes at the cavity wall have been fabricated, and the rf field distributions of the model cavities have been measured to compare with the theoretical analysis and the numerically-obtained rf field. From the analyses, we decided to adopt an rf gun that has dual feeds and two pumping holes for the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL-XFEL) project.

Design of a low emittance and high repetition rate S-band photoinjector

As an electron beam injector of X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs), photoinjectors have been developed for the past few decades. Such an injector starting with a photocathode RF gun provides high brightness beams and therefore it is being adopted as an injector of X-ray FELs. In this paper we show how to improve photoinjector performance in terms of emittance and repetition rates by means of injector components optimization, especially with the gun. Transverse emittance at the end of an injector is reduced by optimizing the gun design, gun solenoid position, and accelerating section position. The repetition rate of an injector mainly depends on the gun. It is discussed that a repetition rate of 1kHz at a normal-conducting S-band photoinjector is feasible by adopting a coaxial RF coupler and improving cooling-water channels surrounding the gun.

Compact narrow-band THz radiation source based on photocathode rf gun

Narrow-band THz coherent Cherenkov radiation can be driven by a subpicosecond electron bunch traveling along the axis of a hollow cylindrical dielectric-lined waveguide. We present a scheme of compact THz radiation source based on the photocathode rf gun. On the basis of our analytic result, the subpicosecond electron bunch with high charge (800 pC) can be generated directly in the photocathode rf gun. According to the analytical and simulated results, a narrow emission spectrum peaked at 0.24 THz with 2 megawatt (MW) peak power is expected to gain in the proposed scheme (the length of the facility is about 1.2 m).

High time resolution beam-based measurement of the rf-to-laser jitter in a photocathode rf gun

Characterizing the rf-to-laser jitter in the photocathode rf gun and its possible origins is important for improving the synchronization and beam quality of the linac based on the photocathode rf gun. A new method based on the rf compression effect in the photocathode rf gun is proposed to measure the rf-to-laser jitter in the gun. By taking advantage of the correlation between the rf compression and the laser injection phase, the error caused by the jitter of the accelerating field in the gun is minimized and thus $10 \mathrm{fs}$ time resolution is expected. Experimental demonstration at the Tsinghua Thomson scattering x-ray source with a time resolution better than 35 fs is reported in this paper. The experimental results are successfully used to obtain information on the possible cause of the jitter and the accompanying drifts.

Generation and measurement of sub-picosecond electron bunch in photocathode rf gun

We consider a scheme to generate a sub-picosecond electron bunch in the photocathode rf gun by improving the acceleration gradient in the gun, suitably tuning the bunch charge, the laser spot size and the acceleration phase, and reducing the growth of transverse emittance by laser shaping. A nondestructive technique is also reported to measure the electron bunch length, by measuring the high-frequency spectrum of wakefield radiation which is caused by the passage of a relativistic electron bunch through a channel surrounded by a dielectric.

1 ms Pulse Beam Generation and Acceleration by Photocathode Radio Frequency Gun and Superconducting Accelerator

We report the successful generation and acceleration of a 1-ms-long pulse and multibunch electron beam by a normal conducting photocathode RF gun and a super conducting accelerator at the KEK Superconducting Test Facility (STF). A 1.3 GHz normal conducting RF gun generates a 1 ms and 10 mA macropulse that fully satisfies the designed parameters. This is the longest macropulse generated by a normal conducting RF gun with a frequency of more than 1 GHz. A beam acceleration of up to 40 MeV was demonstrated with more than 60% of the designed average current. The accelerated beam properties were evaluated: the intensity and energy fluctuations were 3.8% and less than 0.08%, respectively. These beam properties are sufficient for the requirement of the STF operation including that in the quantum beam project, which is high-brightness-X-ray generation by inverse laser Compton scattering. The intensity fluctuation should be improved toward the International Linear Collider (ILC) for uniform acceleration.

Brazing of photocathode RF gun structures in Hydrogen atmosphere: Process qualification, effect of brazing on RF properties and vacuum compatibility

In this paper, we report on the development of a brazing process for an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatible photocathode RF gun structure developed at our Centre. The choice of brazing alloy and its form, brazing clearance between parts to be joined and the brazing cycle adopted have been qualified through metallographic examination of identical joints on an OFE copper prototype that was cut open after brazing. The quality of brazed joint not only affects the UHV compatibility of the gun, but also influences the RF parameters finally achieved. A 2-D electromagnetic code, SUPERFISH, was used to predict the variation in RF parameters before and after brazing considering actual brazing clearances provided between the parts to be joined. Results obtained from low power RF measurements on the brazed gun structure confirm the integrity of the brazed joints and show good agreement with those predicted by electromagnetic simulations. The brazed gun structure has been leak-tested and pumped down to a vacuum level limited by the vacuum compatibility of the flange-fittings employed in the setup.

Photoinjector beam quality improvement by shaping the wavefront of a drive laser with oblique incidence

To increase the quantum efficiency (QE) of a copper photocathode and reduce the thermal emittance of an electron beam, a drive laser with oblique incidence was adopted in a BNL type photocathode rf gun. The disadvantageous effects on the beam quality caused by oblique incidence were analyzed qualitatively. A simple way to solve the problems through wavefront shaping was introduced and the beam quality was improved.

Several hundred femto-second soft X-ray source in compact several meter facility

A compact MW peak power THz source is of high interest and possible to construct in a small accelerator facility (∼2 m) by using pre-bunched FEL scheme. High gradient photo-cathode RF gun and few tens of femto-second laser system can directly generate a pre-bunched electron beam of a few hundred femto-seconds. Furthermore, small undulator can coherently generate MW THz photons in a few hundred femto-seconds. We are considering the reflection of the THz photons to make a collision with the pre-bunched electron beam and to generate a few hundred femto-second soft X-ray. A multi-bunch photo-cathode RF gun to generate ∼10 MeV electron beam is under development. The design for the soft X-ray source is presented.

Low-charge, hard x-ray free electron laser driven with anX-band injector and accelerator

After the successful operation of the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), soft and hard x-ray free electron lasers (FELs) are being built, designed, or proposed at many accelerator laboratories. Acceleration employing lower frequency rf cavities, ranging from $L$-band to $C$-band, is usually adopted in these designs. In the first stage bunch compression, higher-frequency harmonic rf system is employed to linearize the beam's longitudinal phase space, which is nonlinearly chirped during the lower frequency rf acceleration process. In this paper, a hard x-ray FEL design using an all $X$-band accelerator at 11.424 GHz (from photocathode rf gun to linac end) is presented, without the assistance of any harmonic rf linearization. It achieves LCLS-like performance at low charge using $X$-band linac drivers, which is more versatile, efficient, and compact than ones using $S$-band or $C$-band rf technology. It employs initially 42 microns long (rms), low-charge (10 pC) electron bunches from an $X$-band photoinjector. An overall bunch compression ratio of roughly 100 times is proposed in a two stage bunch compressor system. The start-to-end macroparticle 3D simulation employing several computer codes is presented in this paper, where space charge, wakefields, and incoherent and coherent synchrotron radiation effects are included. Employing an undulator with a short period of 1.5 cm, a Genesis FEL simulation shows successful lasing at a wavelength of 0.15 nm with a pulse length of 2 fs and a power saturation length as short as 20 meters, which is equivalent to LCLS low-charge mode. Its overall length of both accelerators and undulators is 180 meters (much shorter than the effective LCLS overall length of 1230 meters, including an accelerator length of 1100 meters and an undulator length of 130 meters), which makes it possible to be built in places where only limited space is available.

1ms Pulse Beam Generation and Acceleration by Photo-cathode RF Gun

1ms Pulse Beam Generation and Acceleration by Photo-cathode RF Gun

Ultrashort-bunch Electron RF Gun

Two ultrashort electron-bunch photocathode RF guns in picosecond (ps) and femtosecond (fs) time region are reviewed. The ps gun was developed and used successfully to generate an ultralow-emittance and high-charge electron beam with normalized emittance of 1.2 mm-mrad at bunch charge of 1 nC. The low-emittance electron beam has been used successfully to produce a 100-fs high-charge electron single bunch with a booster linear accelerator and a magnetic bunch compressor. An ultrafast pulse radiolysis with time resolution of 240 fs was constructed using the fs electron beam for the study of ultrafast reactions in radiation chemistry and biology. The fs gun, developed under the KEK/Osaka University collaboration with a new structure cavity and many improvements, was succeeded in producing directly a near-relativistic 100-fs electron beam with energy of 1-3 MeV. Femtosecond time-resolved electron diffraction has been constructed using the fs RF gun for the study of photon-induced phase transition in materials. Some experimental results of pulse radiolysis and MeV electron diffraction in fs time region were reported and discussed.

Advanced Laser Technologies for High-brightness Photocathode Electron Gun

A laser-excited photocathode RF gun is one of the most reliable high-brightness electron beam sources for XFELs. Several 3D laser shaping methods have been developed as ideal photocathode illumination sources at SPring-8 since 2001. To suppress the emittance growth caused by nonlinear space-charge forces, the 3D cylindrical UV-pulse was optimized spatially as a flattop and temporally as squarely stacked chirped pulses. This shaping system is a serial combination of a deformable mirror that adaptively shapes the spatial profile with a genetic algorithm and a UV-pulse stacker that consists of four birefringent α-BBO crystal rods for temporal shaping. Using this 3D-shaped pulse, a normalized emittance of 1.4 π mm mrad was obtained in 2006. Utilizing laser's Z-polarization, Schottky-effect-gated photocathode gun was proposed in 2006. The cathode work functions are reduced by a laser-induced Schottky effect. As a result of focusing a radially polarized laser pulse with a hollow lens in vacuum, the Z-field (Z-polarization) is generated at the cathode.

A novel scaling law relating the geometrical dimensions of a photocathode radio frequency gun to its radio frequency properties

Developing a photocathode RF gun with the desired RF properties of the π-mode, such as field balance (e(b)) ~1, resonant frequency f(π) = 2856 MHz, and waveguide-to-cavity coupling coefficient β(π) ~1, requires precise tuning of the resonant frequencies of the independent full- and half-cells (f(f) and f(h)), and of the waveguide-to-full-cell coupling coefficient (β(f)). While contemporary electromagnetic codes and precision machining capability have made it possible to design and tune independent cells of a photocathode RF gun for desired RF properties, thereby eliminating the need for tuning, access to such computational resources and quality of machining is not very widespread. Therefore, many such structures require tuning after machining by employing conventional tuning techniques that are iterative in nature. Any procedure that improves understanding of the tuning process and consequently reduces the number of iterations and the associated risks in tuning a photocathode gun would, therefore, be useful. In this paper, we discuss a method devised by us to tune a photocathode RF gun for desired RF properties under operating conditions. We develop and employ a simple scaling law that accounts for inter-dependence between frequency of independent cells and waveguide-to-cavity coupling coefficient, and the effect of brazing clearance for joining of the two cells. The method has been employed to successfully develop multiple 1.6 cell BNL∕SLAC/UCLA type S-band photocathode RF guns with the desired RF properties, without the need to tune them by a tiresome cut-and-measure process. Our analysis also provides a physical insight into how the geometrical dimensions affect the RF properties of the photo-cathode RF gun.

Compact THz radiation source based on photocathode RF gun

Terahertz (THz) science and technology have already become the research highlight at present. In this paper, we put forward a proposal to generate THz radiation at tens of MW peak power. As a result of the ultrafast laser and the high accelerating field of photocathode RF gun, we can generate and accelerate an electron beam to several MeV, of which the bunch length is less than sub-ps. When the short electron bunches are injected into the wiggler, THz radiation based on Coherent Synchrotron Radiation could be achieved with tens of MW peak power. The whole THz FEL facility can be scaled to the size of a tabletop.

Study on the W-band photocathode RF gun

In this paper, we continue our W-band photoinjector work. We discuss the production of a high brightness femtosecond bunch using our proposed W-band photoinjector under different parameters. The parameters of the produced bunch are the energy of 1.2 MeV, the length of 60 fs, the peak current of 90 A, the normalized emittance of 0.4 mm mrad and the energy spread of 1.9%. Finally, we present some application examples of the proposed photoinjector.