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Ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) would be a powerful tool for the direct visualization of structural dynamic processes in matter. The resolutions of the observation on femtosecond time scales over sub-nanometer (even atomic) spatial dimensions have long been a goal in science. To achieve such resolutions, we have designed and constructed a femtosecond time-resolved relativistic-energy electron microscopy using a photocathode radio-frequency (RF) electron gun (RF based UEM). The RF gun has successfully generated a high-brightness electron beam with bunch length of 100 fs and emittance of 0.2 mm-mrad, which are essential beam parameters for the achievement of nm-fs space-time resolution in the microscopy. Both the static measurements of both relativistic-energy electron diffraction and image have been succeeded. In this presentation, the activities on RF based UEM are introduced. The requirements and limitations of the beam parameters are reviewed. The concept and design of RF based UEM are reported. Finally, some demonstrations of the relativistic-energy UEM images are reported., Proceedings of the 6th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2015, Richmond, VA, USA

Ultrashort electron bunches with durations of femtoseconds and attoseconds are essential for time-resolved measurements, including pulse radiolysis and ultrafast electron microscopy. However, generation of the ultrashort electron bunches is commonly difficult because of bunch length growth due to space charge effect, nonlinear momentum dispersion and so on. Several bunch length measurement methods for the ultrashort electron beams have also been considered so far, which have not been established yet. In this study, the femtosecond electron beams were generated using a laser photocathode radio-frequency gun linac and a magnetic bunch compressor. The bunch length measurement was carried out using a Michelson interferometer based on monitoring coherent transition radiation (CTR), which is characterized by square modulus of the Fourier transform of the longitudinal bunch distribution. Analyzing the experimentally obtained interferograms of CTR, the electron beams with the average duration of 5 fs were generated and measured successfully at the condition of bunch charge of 1 pC. Consideration of the longitudinal bunch shapes was also carried out using the Kramers-Kronig relation., Proceedings of the 6th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2015, Richmond, VA, USA

Ultrashort electron bunches are essential for time-resolved measurement methods such as pulse radiolysis* from the viewpoint of time resolutions. On the other hand, generation of electro-magnetic wave in the THz range using short electron bunches has been investigated**. Frequency spectra of coherent transition radiation (CTR) emitted by an electron bunch depend on bunch form factor (BFF), which is expressed by Fourier coefficients of longitudinal distribution in the electron bunch. In this study, the bunch length measurement was demonstrated by analyzing THz-waves generated by CTR. Femtosecond electron bunches were generated by a laser photocathode RF gun linac and magnetic bunch compressor. THz-waves generated by CTR, which was emitted on an interface of an aluminum mirror along the beam trajectory, were transported to a Michelson interferometer. The bunch length was measured by analyzing interferogram, which was an infrared detector output as a function of a moving mirror position. Finally, the bunch length was measured according to fitting curves for the interferogram near the centerburst***. Minimum bunch length of 1.3 fs was obtained at a bunch charge of ~1 pC., Proceedings of the 5th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2014, Dresden, Germany

The first prototype of RF gun based relativistic-energy electron microscopy has been constructed at Osaka University to study ultrafast structural dynamic processes in matter. The RF gun driven by a femtosecond laser has generated a 100-fs-pulse MeV electron beam with emittance of 0.1 mm-mrad and energy spread of 10⁻⁴. Both the electron diffraction and image measurements have been succeeded in the prototype using the femtosecond electron beam. In the diffraction measurement, an excellent quality of diffraction pattern was acquired with electron number of 10⁶. The single-shot measurement is available in the prototype. In the image measurement, the TEM image was acquired with a total electron number of 10⁸. The magnification was 3,000 times. In the next step, we will reduce further the emittance to increase the beam brightness on the sample, and then improve the spatial resolution to, Proceedings of the 5th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2014, Dresden, Germany

Pulse radiolysis, which utilizes a pump electron beam and a probe pulse, is a powerful tool that can be used for the time-resolved observation of ultrafast radiation-induced phenomena. Recently, double-decker pulse radiolysis* using visible probe pulses were demonstrated based on a photocathode RF gun driven by two UV pulses, which enabled synchronized pump electron beam and visible probe pulses. In this study, pulse radiolysis using terahertz (THz) probe pulses which were realized by the “double-decker” electron beams and dynamics of transient quasi-free electrons in semiconductors are presented., Proceedings of the 5th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2014, Dresden, Germany

Femtosecond electron beam pulse radiolysis which has time resolution of 250 fs was achieved by a Photocathode RF gun LINAC in the ISIR, Osaka University. And geminate ion recombination (charged pair dynamics) in n-dodecane was studied. Kinetics of the Radical cation of n-dodecane was measured. As a result, the existence of the excited-radical cation, and generation of the radical cation via relaxation from the excited-radical cation were suggested. Those new results were obtained in the field of the radiation chemistry by the photocathode RF gun., Proceedings of the 1st International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2010, Kyoto, Japan

Time resolution of pulse radiolysis, which is a stroboscopic measurement technique, depends on electron bunch length. In order to improve the time resolution, femtosecond electron bunch generation at photocathode rf gun was investigated. A 1.6-cell S-band photocathode rf gun, similar to the Gun IV type at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), was used. The rf gun consisted of a half cell and a full cell. A copper cathode was located in the half cell. The rf gun was driven by femtosecond UV laser pulse (266 nm), which was generated with third-harmonic-generation (THG) of Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser (800 nm). The longitudinal and transverse dynamics of the electron bunch generated by the UV laser was investigated. The bunch length was measured with the dependence of energy spread on acceleration phase in a linac, which was set at the downstream of the rf gun. Transverse emittance at the linac exit was also measured with Q-scan method., Proceedings of the 1st International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2010, Kyoto, Japan

Both ultrafast time-resolved radiolysis and electron diffraction based on photocathode rf electron guns have been developed in Osaka University to reveal the hidden dynamics of intricate molecular and atomic processes in materials. One of the photocathode rf guns has been used successfully to produce a 100-fs high-brightness electron single bunch with a booster linear accelerator and a magnetic bunch compressor. The time resolution of 240 fs was achieved at the first time in the pulse radiolysis. Another photocathode rf gun, which produces directly a near-relativistic 100-fs electron beam, has been developed to construct femtosecond electron diffraction. The megavolt electron diffraction patterns have been observed. The dependences of the emittance, bunch length and energy spread on the radio-frequency (rf) and space charge effects in the rf gun were investigated., Proceedings of the 1st International Particle Accelerator Conference, IPAC2010, Kyoto, Japan