Radio Frequency Photoinjector Research Articles

Y thin films by ultrashort pulsed laser deposition for photocathode application

In this work, the deposition of Y thin films by laser beams with 0.5ps and 5ps pulse durations at different laser fluences (1.2–6.4J/cm2) is reported. The morphology of the deposited films and of the ablated target surface is investigated by scanning electron microscopy analyses. The present results show that the films, well adherent to the substrates, are characterized by a high abundance of sub-micrometric particulates with average size less than 0.3μm, whose density decreases with increasing laser fluence. The formation of columnar structures observed on the target surface seems to be responsible of the poor film homogeneity. Acceptable deposition rate in the range of 0.08–0.16Å/pulse with 5ps pulse duration is found; on the contrary with 0.5ps pulse duration, it is not possible to get information on deposition rate as a function of the laser fluence due to the high non-uniformity of the films. A comparison with the results previously obtained in ns regime is presented and discussed. The achievements of our investigation will be useful to optimize the synthesis of photocathodes based on Y films for the production of bright electron beams in radio-frequency photoinjectors.

Detailed studies of photocathodes based on Y thin films grown by PLD technique

The effects of laser fluence on the morphology of Y films in the regime characteristic of multiple-pulse laser deposition were investigated. Y thin films were deposited on silicon and copper substrates. The samples deposited on silicon substrate were used to deduce the morphology and the thickness of the deposited films. On the contrary, the samples deposited on copper were tested as photocathodes in a DC photodiode cell. The interest to produce Y-based photocathodes is due to the low work function of this metal with the possibility to drive such photocathodes with a visible radiation in the radio-frequency photo-injector. In this way it is possible to reduce the thermal emittance of the photoelectron beam and to increase the photocurrent intensity by utilizing the second harmonic of Ti:Sa driver laser. The quantum efficiency was measured for the first time by using a visible CW laser diode emitting at 406 nm.

Laser-induced melting of a single crystal gold sample by time-resolved ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction

We report the experimental demonstration of time-resolved relativistic electron diffraction. Single shot diffraction patterns from a single crystal gold sample were recorded using ultrashort 3.5 MeV electron bunches from a radio frequency photoinjector. By scanning the pump pulse time-delay, we studied the Bragg peaks amplitude change due to the laser-induced melting of the sample. The observed time scale matches the one predicted using a simple two temperature model of the heating of the thin foil. Time-resolved relativistic electron diffraction using megaelectronvolt electron beams with 107 particles in 100 fs bunch length opens exciting possibilities in ultrafast structural dynamics.

Cs2Tenormal conducting photocathodes in the superconducting rf gun

The superconducting radio frequency photoinjector (SRF gun) is one of the latest applications of superconducting rf technology in the accelerator field. Since superconducting photocathodes with high quantum efficiency are yet unavailable, normal conducting cathode material is the main choice for SRF photoinjectors. However, the compatibility between the photocathode and the cavity is one of the challenges for this concept. Recently, a SRF gun with ${\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}\mathrm{Te}$ cathode has been successfully operated in Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. In this paper, we will present the physical properties of ${\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}\mathrm{Te}$ photocathodes in the SC cavity, such as the quantum efficiency, the lifetime, the rejuvenation, the charge saturation, and the dark current.

High quality single shot diffraction patterns using ultrashort megaelectron volt electron beams from a radio frequency photoinjector

Single shot diffraction patterns using a 250-fs-long electron beam have been obtained at the UCLA Pegasus laboratory. High quality images with spatial resolution sufficient to distinguish closely spaced peaks in the Debye-Scherrer ring pattern have been recorded by scattering the 1.6 pC 3.5 MeV electron beam generated in the rf photoinjector off a 100-nm-thick Au foil. Dark current and high emittance particles are removed from the beam before sending it onto the diffraction target using a 1 mm diameter collimating hole. These results open the door to the study of irreversible phase transformations by single shot MeV electron diffraction.

Generating a Quasiellipsoidal Electron Beam by 3D Laser-Pulse Shaping

A generic 3D laser-pulse-shaping scheme is proposed towards the generation of a uniform ellipsoidal particle distribution, an ideal distribution due to the linear dependence of the space-charge force on the particle position. The shaping is accomplished via spatiotemporal coupling of the laser dynamics via chromatic aberration in an optical lens. Particle tracking simulations show that the electron beam initiated by such a laser pulse in a high-gradient radio-frequency photoinjector delivers very low emittance, ideal for beam-based light sources such as the x-ray free-electron laser.

Simple scheme for ultraviolet time-pulse shaping

We present a method to generate high-energy flat-top UV laser pulses such as the ones needed to optimally drive high-brightness radio-frequency photoinjectors. In this scheme we believe to be novel, the longitudinal profile of a laser pulse from a Ti:sapphire master oscillator power amplifier system is controlled using a mechanical mask in the Fourier plane of a 4f stretcher located after the harmonic conversion crystals. Such a scheme allows us to overcome many of the difficulties faced by current state-of-the-art pulse-shaping designs. These are in fact based on various versions of preamplifier infrared shapers and hence suffer from the limitations set by the nonlinearities of chirped-pulse amplification and harmonic conversion. Beyond the clear advantages of simplicity and robustness, the proposed solution offers the possibility to deliver a pulse with very short rise and fall times and to freely change the output pulse length. We also note that, after proper calibration between spectral and temporal profiles, the shaper optical setup offers the possibility to retrieve the longitudinal profile of the laser pulse on a shot-to-shot basis.

A TRAIN OF MICRO-BUNCHES FOR PWFA EXPERIMENTS PRODUCED BY RF PHOTOINJECTORS

An electron beam generated in a radio-frequency photo-injector illuminated by a laser "comb" pulse evolves towards a homogenous electron beam with an energy modulation. The density modulation in fact is transformed into an energy modulation, with a saw-tooth like shape, by the longitudinal space charge forces. Such an energy distribution can be exploited to restore the initial density profile by means of a RF accelerating structure operating in the velocity bunching mode. It results a train of short electron bunches suitable for advanced PWFA experiments. The initial laser comb can be obtained with a pulse shaping device inserted into the laser system. In this paper we discuss the beam dynamics features of such a beam.

Mg based photocathodes for high brightness RF photoinjectors

Advanced high brightness radio frequency (RF) gun injectors require photocathodes with a fast response, high quantum efficiency (QE) and good surface uniformity. Metal films deposited by various techniques on the gun back wall could satisfy these requirements. A new deposition technique has been recently proposed, i.e. pulsed laser ablation. Several Mg samples have been deposited by this technique: the emission performance and morphological changes induced on the cathode surface during laser activation are compared and discussed.

Optimization and beam dynamics of a superconducting radio-frequency gun

Recent advances in superconducting radio-frequency (RF) technology and a better understanding of RF photoinjector design optimization make it possible to propose a specific design for a superconducting RF gun that can simultaneously produce both ultra-high peak brightness and high average current. Such a device is a critical component of next generation X-ray sources, such as self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron lasers (SASE FEL) and energy recovery linac-based systems. The design presented in this paper is scaled from the present state-of-the-art normal conducting RF photoinjector that has been studied in the context of the linac coherent light source and SPARC SASE FEL injection schemes. Issues specific to the superconducing RF photoinjector, such as accelerating gradient limit, RF cavity and cryostat design, and compatibility with magnetic focusing and laser excitation of a photocathode are discussed.

High‐Intensity Scattering Processes of Relativistic Electrons in Vacuum and Their Relevance to High‐Energy Astrophysics

The recent advent of ultra-short pulse, high-intensity lasers, together with advances in other novel technologies, such as high-gradient radiofrequency photoinjectors, have afforded researchers the possibility to simulate astrophysical conditions in the laboratory. Laser-produced plasmas have been successfully used to simulate astrophysical plasmas and supernovae in the laboratory for several years. Now, femtosecond laser systems operating in the terawatt to petawatt range are available, as are synchronized relativistic electron bunches with subpicosecond durations and terahertz bandwidths. With these tools, experiments have been conducted to study phenomena related to supernova explosions, stellar winds, solar coronae, cosmic rays, planetary and celestial matter, and interstellar plasmas. Other experiments have been proposed to investigate Unruh radiation, as well as ponderomotive scattering, which can accelerate electrons in vacuum to relativistic energies using the extremely high gradients in a three-dimensional laser focus. The nonlinear Doppler shift induced by ultrarelativistic radiation pressure is shown to yield complex nonlinear Compton backscattered spectra. Finally, strong radiative corrections are expected when the Doppler-upshifted laser wavelength approaches the Compton scale. These are discussed within the context of high-field classical electrodynamics, a new discipline borne out of the aforementioned innovations.

Radio frequency photoinjector using LaB6 cathode and a nitrogen drive laser

We report the successful operation of an inexpensive, simple, and reliable 2.856 GHz radio frequency photoinjector using a rugged LaB6 cathode and a nitrogen drive laser operating at a wavelength of 337 nm. The cathode was operated at a vacuum of ≈10−8 Torr, and produced excellent beam quality. The device produces a 1 ns long pulse containing 0.1 nC of charge. The photoelectrons have been accelerated to 270 MeV in traveling-wave linear accelerator.

Observation of space-charge driven beam instabilities in a radio frequency photoinjector

This article describes an experimental determination of the correlated, longitudinal phase-space electron distribution produced by a radio frequency photoinjector. Measurements of the electron beam energy spectra and pulse shapes are analyzed to deduce the longitudinal phase space at the exit of the photoinjector rf cavity. Data were obtained for micro-pulse charges of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 nC, and show different phenomena in the low-charge and high-charge regimes. At low beam charge, the uncorrelated energy spread increases with increasing charge density, while rf bunching appears to cancel any pulse-length elongation due to the space-charge forces. At high beam charge, the data show that the micro-pulse separates into three distinct sub-pulses of nearly equal charge, and with a temporal separation proportional to the relativistic plasma frequency. These effects are compared with the space-charge generated instabilities and virtual-cathode phenomena observed in lower voltage devices. The implications that these results have upon the fundamental limits of beam brightness and magnetic pulse compression limitations are discussed.

Micro-bunch production with radio frequency photoinjectors

In this paper we discuss the generation of ultra-short electron bunches using laser-driven RF guns. The designs are tailored for future plasma accelerators. Second generation plasma accelerators are expected to be very demanding in terms of bunch length, since the accelerated beam is expected to be short with respect to the wavelength of the excited Langmuir space-charge plasma wave. Since the anticipated wavelength ranges from 100 to 300 /spl mu/m, 10-50 /spl mu/m-long bunches are required with a bunch population of the order of 10/sup 8/ particles. The laser-driven RF gun is a promising candidate to attain such beams. The rationale for this choice as well as the main limitations in terms of minimum bunch length will be analyzed and discussed in the following. Two possible configurations are evaluated: the direct production at the photocathode surface of ultra-short electron bunches by illumination of the cathode with 160-fs-long laser pulses and the acceleration of a 1-ps electron bunch with further magnetic compression in a wiggler.