Ultrashort Bunches Research Articles

Ultra short electron beam bunches from a laser plasma cathode

The fluctuation of the electron bunch duration due to energy spectrum instability in a laser plasma cathode has been examined. Previous experiments clearly proved that a laser plasma cathode can generate ultrashort electron bunches with a bunch duration of 130fs (FWHM) and a geometrical emittance 0.07πmmmrad. The effect of temporal elongation of electron bunches due to their energy spread is estimated and the results are in good agreement with previous experiments. It is also clarified that the instability of the energy spectrum not only leads to a fluctuation of the bunch shape but also to a time-of-flight jitter, affecting possible future applications of a laser plasma cathode.

GENERATION OF ULTRA-SHORT ELECTRON BUNCHES FOR LIGHT SOURCE RESEARCH

An S-band thermionic 1.5-cell rf gun injector system is being built at NSRRC for Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) booster. At optimized field ratio, an electron beam with linear energy chirp can be generated by the rf gun. The beam is then compressed by an alpha magnet such that ultra-short electron bunches at femto-second bunch length can be obtained. Particle dynamics has been studied for an rf gun with nose cone at the cathode, simulation results show that 74 pC bunches at about 97 fs is achievable. Some of the critical components such as the rf gun and alpha magnet have been fabricated and being tested in house. Experiments for intense coherent THz radiations and tunable femto-second X-ray from ultra-short bunches are being proposed as future applications.

Spin-polarized free electron beam interaction with radiation and superradiant spin-flip radiative emission

The problems of spin-polarized free-electron beam interaction with electromagnetic wave at electron-spin resonance conditions in a magnetic field and of superradiant spin-flip radiative emission are analyzed in the framework of a comprehensive classical model. The spontaneous emission of spin-flip radiation from electron beams is very weak. We show that the detectivity of electron spin resonant spin-flip and combined spin-flip/cyclotron-resonance-emission radiation can be substantially enhanced by operating with ultrashort spin-polarized electron beam bunches under conditions of superradiant (coherent) emission. The proposed radiative spin-state modulation and the spin-flip radiative emission schemes can be used for control and noninvasive diagnostics of polarized electron/positron beams. Such schemes are of relevance in important scattering experiments off nucleons in nuclear physics and off magnetic targets in condensed matter physics.

Superradiant Spin-Flip Radiative Emission of a Spin-Polarized Free-Electron Beam

Radiative emission from the magnetic moments of the spins of an electron beam has never been observed directly, because it is fundamentally much weaker than the electric charge emission. We show that the detectivity of spin-flip and combined spin-flip-cyclotron-resonance-emission radiation can be substantially enhanced by operating with ultrashort spin-polarized electron beam bunches under conditions of superradiant (coherent) emission. The proposed superradiant spin-flip radiative emission scheme can be used for noninvasive diagnostics of polarized electron or positron beams. Such beams are of relevance in important scattering experiments off nucleons in nuclear physics and off magnetic targets in condensed matter physics.

A femtosecond neutron source

The possibility to use the ultrashort ion bunches produced by circularly polarized laser pulses to drive a source of fusion neutrons with sub-optical cycle duration is discussed. A two-side irradiation of a thin foil deuterated target produces two countermoving ion bunches, whose collision leads to an ultrashort neutron burst. Using particle-in-cell simulations and analytical modeling, it is evaluated that, for intensities of a few $10^{19} W cm^{-2}$, more than $10^3$ neutrons per Joule may be produced within a time shorter than one femtosecond. Another scheme based on a layered deuterium-tritium target is outlined.

The short-range wakefields in the BTW accelerating structure of the ELETTRA LINAC

Future FEL operations in the ELETTRA LINAC require a high quality beam with an ultra short bunch. The knowledge of the short-range wakefields in the backward traveling wave (BTW) accelerating structure is needed to predict the beam quality in term of the single bunch energy spread and emittance. To calculate the effect of the longitudinal and transverse wakefields we have used the time domain numerical approach with a new implicit scheme for calculation of wake potential of short bunches in long structure [A. Novokhatski, M. Timm, T. Weiland, Transition dynamics of the wake fields of ultra short bunches, Proceeding of the ICAP California, USA, 1998, I. Zagorodnov, T. Weiland, Calculation of transverse wake potential for short bunches, ICAP, 2002]. The wake potentials of the BTW structure are calculated numerically for very short bunches and analytical approximations for wake functions in short and long ranges are obtained by fitting procedures based on analytical estimations.

TE/TM alternating direction scheme for wake field calculation in 3D

In the future, accelerators with very short bunches will be used. It demands developing new numerical approaches for long-time calculation of electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of relativistic bunches. The conventional FDTD scheme, used in MAFIA, ABCI and other wake and PIC codes, suffers from numerical grid dispersion and staircase approximation problem. As an effective cure of the dispersion problem, a numerical scheme without dispersion in longitudinal direction can be used as it was shown by Novokhatski et al. [Transition dynamics of the wake fields of ultrashort bunches, TESLA Report 2000-03, DESY, 2000] and Zagorodnov et al. [J. Comput. Phys. 191 (2003) 525]. In this paper, a new economical conservative scheme for short-range wake field calculation in 3D is presented. As numerical examples show, the new scheme is much more accurate on long-time scale than the conventional FDTD approach.

Electro-optic techniques for temporal profile characterisation of relativistic Coulomb fields and coherent synchrotron radiation

Electro-optic (EO) detection of relativistic Coulomb fields offers a method for non-destructive longitudinal profile measurements of ultrashort bunches. Techniques for single-shot EO characterisation of Coulomb fields which have been developed or demonstrated at the FELIX free electron laser (FEL) facility are discussed. In addition, recent FELIX experiments have used single-shot electro-optic detection to measure the temporal profile of the far-infrared electric field pulse of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR), initial results of which are reported here. Such time-resolved CSR measurements have the potential for a completely non-invasive bunch longitudinal profile determination, without the ambiguity in profile that is present in CSR spectral measurements.

The bubble regime of laser–plasma acceleration: monoenergetic electrons and the scalability

The bubble regime of electron acceleration in ultra-relativistic laser plasma is considered. It has been shown that the bubble can produce ultra-short dense bunches of electrons with quasi-monoenergetic energy spectra. The first experiment in this regime done at LOA has confirmed the peaked electron spectrum (Faure J et al 2004 Nature at press). The generated electron bunch may have density an order of magnitude higher than that of the background plasma. The bubble is able to guide the laser pulse over many Rayleigh lengths, thus no preformed plasma channel is needed for high-energy particle acceleration in the bubble regime. In this work we discuss a simple analytical model for the bubble fields as well as the scaling laws.

Attosecond Electron Bunches

Electron bunches of attosecond duration may coherently interact with laser beams. We show how p-polarized ultraintense laser pulses interacting with sharp boundaries of overdense plasmas can produce such bunches. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate attosecond bunch generation during pulse propagation through a thin channel or in the course of grazing incidence on a plasma layer. In the plasma, due to the self-intersection of electron trajectories, electron concentration is abruptly peaked. A group of counterstream electrons is pushed away from the plasma through nulls in the electromagnetic field, having inherited a peaked electron density distribution and forming relativistic ultrashort bunches in vacuum.

Application of constrained deconvolution technique for reconstruction of electron bunch profile with strongly non-Gaussian shape

An effective and practical technique based on the detection of the coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) spectrum can be used to characterize the profile function of ultra-short bunches. The CSR spectrum measurement has an important limitation: no spectral phase information is available, and the complete profile function cannot be obtained in general. In this paper we propose to use constrained deconvolution method for bunch profile reconstruction based on a priori-known information about formation of the electron bunch. Application of the method is illustrated with practically important example of a bunch formed in a single bunch-compressor. Downstream of the bunch compressor the bunch charge distribution is strongly non-Gaussian with a narrow leading peak and a long tail. The longitudinal bunch distribution is derived by measuring the bunch tail constant with a streak camera and by using a priory available information about profile function.

Fast electron production in ultra-shorthigh-intensity laser-plasma interaction and its consequences

The development of high-energy, high-power ultra-short laser pulsesin the 1 TW to 1 PW range has initiated a number of studies on the mechanismsof interaction between a laser and a plasma at very high (relativistic)intensities. In this new regime, a large fraction of the laser energy istransferred to ultra-short bunches of collimated relativistic electrons.Protons or heavier ions dragged by these electron jets can also be acceleratedinside as well as outside the target. Moreover, the interaction of theseelectrons with various types of materials gives rise to powerful sources ofx-rays and γ-rays and to a large number of nuclear reactions. Theseinteractions can result in the emission of neutrons and positrons and in theproduction of nuclear isotopes and other types ofparticles.

Laser acceleration of electrons and ions and intense secondary particle generation

We discuss the present and future capabilities of ultrahigh-intensity lasers for the generation of ultrashort relativistic bunches of electrons and protons. Although far from perfect, these beams have unique features compared to standard particle sources, especially their high bunch density and ultrashort duration, and the compact source dimensions (typically a few μm to cm acceleration length and tens of square meters for the whole facility). Possible applications are also discussed.

Study of the 100 fs 10 kA X-band linac

Design and numerical analysis of an X-band femtosecond electron linear accelerator (linac) is presented. We aim to generate a 100 fs (full width at half maxium: FWHM) electron single bunch with more than 1 nC at the X-band femtosecond linac. The simulation of electron dynamics including magnetic pulse compression is carried out by using PARMELA and SUPERFISH. It is found that the 700 ps (tail-to-tail) electron emission from a 150 kV thermionic gun can be bunched and compressed to 100 fs (FWHM) electron single bunch with the charge of 1 nC which gives 10 kA. We plan to use one high power X-band klystron which can supply 60 MW with more than 200 ns pulse duration. The flatness of plateau of the RF pulse should be 0.2% for stable ultrashort bunch generation. The influence of the klystron voltage fluctuation on the accelerating voltage is quantitatively evaluated and the vacuum design is also done. We have confirmed the feasibility of the linac from viewpoints of state-of the-art technologies.

500-fs photoelectron gun for time-resolved electron diffraction experiments

A photoelectron gun as a source of a photoinduced, monoen- ergetic (energy spread ,0.5 eV), well-collimated (divergence ,0.5 deg), sharp (diameter ,0.7 mm at the 1/e level), and ultrashort (<500 fs) bunch of electrons to be used for time-resolved electron diffraction (TRED) experiments is computer designed, assembled, and tested. In single-shot mode, it generates up to 10 3 of 30 keV electrons, and the electron pulse can be either measured in streak mode or focused onto a solid state target chosen from a set of interchangeable targets. High temporal resolution enables measurement with femtosecond precision of the diffraction pattern perturbation after the exiting laser radiation drops onto a target. Demonstration experiments with a 300-A A1 target in transmission-type mode result in diffraction images of reasonable quality under accumulation of up to 4310 4 500-fs photoelectron pulses. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(98)00508-X)

The Neptune photoinjector

The RF photoinjector in the Neptune advanced accelerator laboratory, along with associated beam diagnostics, transport and phase-space manipulation techniques are described. This versatile injector has been designed to produce short-pulse electron beams for a variety of uses: ultra-short bunches for injection into a next-generation plasma beatwave acceleration experiment, 2 C. Clayton et al., these proceedings. 2 space-charge dominated beam physics studies, plasma wake-field acceleration driver, plasma lensing, and free-electron laser microbunching techniques. The component parts of the photoinjector, the RF gun, photocathode drive laser systems, booster linac, RF system, chicane compressor, beam diagnostic systems, and control system, are discussed. The present status of photoinjector commissioning at Neptune is reviewed, and proposed experiments are detailed.

Quasi-isochronous buckets in storage rings

In order to maintain a reasonable r.f. system, it may be necessary for a collider with ultra-short bunches to operate with a small slippage factor, for example, η < 1 × 10 −6 for all the particles in the bunches. The buckets dominated by the zeroth order, first order, or second order of η are examined, and the required r.f. voltages are computed. The problem of microwave instability is addressed. The reliability of computing higher-order momentum-compaction factor using lattice codes is examined.