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We report the high-gradient tests results of a novel traveling wave accelerating structure for $\beta =0.3$ based on a novel approach of operating at the first negative spatial harmonic. Accelerating gradients of 50 MV/m and peak electric fields of 160 MV/m were achieved in a single structure consisting of 15 coupled cells during tests at the advanced photon source. This work was performed by RadiaBeam, in collaboration with the Argonne National Laboratory, as a part of a Research and Development Program for the development of an ultrahigh-gradient linear accelerator, the Advanced Compact Carbon Ion Linac, for hadron therapy.

The development of ultracompact particle accelerators and accelerator-based high-power THz generators are some of the top priorities for research and development programs around the world. These tools require the development of accelerating structures, operating in the mm-Wave and THz range, where diagnostics are not available or are insufficient. This article presents the design of a pulse-to-pulse THz spectrometer, primarily developed for diagnostics of accelerating structures and THz radiation sources. In particular, this spectrometer can be used to detect RF pulse shortening caused by vacuum breakdown and beam misalignment in THz accelerators, as well as for bunch length monitoring and radiation source diagnostics. The spectrometer is based on a diffraction grating and is capable of covering a frequency range where RF-based breakdown measurements are not possible. We have built and tested the first prototype with different sources in a frequency range of 0.1–1.0 THz. In this article, we present the physical design, supported numerical simulations, electronics development, and test results.

The development of novel high-gradient accelerating structures operating at THz frequencies is critical for future free-electron lasers and TeV scale linear colliders. To reach high energies with reasonable length requires high accelerating gradients of ~100 MV/m. The main limitation to reaching these high-energy gradients is the vacuum RF breakdown phenomenon, which disrupts normal accelerator operations. For stable operations and to understand the breakdown microscopic dynamics, a new device capable of detecting the breakdown occurrences is required. In this paper, we provide the design of a pulse length monitor based on an analog to digital converter for fast signal digitization without the need to use high-speed digitizers to be used in a commercial mm-wave heterodyne spectrometer.

Plasma waves generated in the wake of intense, relativistic laser1,2 or particle beams3,4 can accelerate electron bunches to gigaelectronvolt energies in centimetre-scale distances. This allows the realization of compact accelerators with emerging applications ranging from modern light sources such as the free-electron laser to energy frontier lepton colliders. In a plasma wakefield accelerator, such multi-gigavolt-per-metre wakefields can accelerate witness electron bunches that are either externally injected5,6 or captured from the background plasma7,8. Here we demonstrate optically triggered injection9–11 and acceleration of electron bunches, generated in a multi-component hydrogen and helium plasma employing a spatially aligned and synchronized laser pulse. This ‘plasma photocathode’ decouples injection from wake excitation by liberating tunnel-ionized helium electrons directly inside the plasma cavity, where these cold electrons are then rapidly boosted to relativistic velocities. The injection regime can be accessed via optical11 density down-ramp injection12–16 and is an important step towards the generation of electron beams with unprecedented low transverse emittance, high current and 6D-brightness17. This experimental path opens numerous prospects for transformative plasma wakefield accelerator applications based on ultrahigh-brightness beams. Electron bunches are generated and accelerated to relativistic velocities by tunnel ionization of neutral gas species in a plasma. This represents a step towards ultra-bright, high-emittance beams in plasma wakefield accelerators. [This summary has been amended from ‘laser-plasma’ to ‘plasma wakefield’ accelerators.]

In the field of beam physics, two frontier topics have taken center stage due to their potential to enable new approaches to discovery in a wide swath of science. These areas are: advanced, high gradient acceleration techniques, and x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). Further, there is intense interest in the marriage of these two fields, with the goal of producing a very compact XFEL. In this context, recent advances in high gradient radio-frequency cryogenic copper structure research have opened the door to the use of surface electric fields between 250 and 500 MV/m. Such an approach is foreseen to enable a new generation of photoinjectors with six-dimensional beam brightness beyond the current state-of-the-art by well over an order of magnitude. This advance is an essential ingredient enabling an ultra-compact XFEL (UC-XFEL). In addition, one may accelerate these bright beams to GeV scale in less than 10 meters. Such an injector, when combined with inverse free electron laser-based bunching techniques can produce multi-kA beams with unprecedented beam quality, quantified by ~50 nm-rad normalized emittances. These beams, when injected into innovative, short-period (1-10 mm) undulators uniquely enable UC-XFELs having footprints consistent with university-scale laboratories. We describe the architecture and predicted performance of this novel light source, which promises photon production per pulse of a few percent of existing XFEL sources. We review implementation issues including collective beam effects, compact x-ray optics systems, and other relevant technical challenges. To illustrate the potential of such a light source to fundamentally change the current paradigm of XFELs with their limited access, we examine possible applications in biology, chemistry, materials, atomic physics, industry, and medicine which may profit from this new model of performing XFEL science., 80 pages, 24 figures

The capability of accelerating electron bunches at high repetition rate is one of the key performance criteria for all high average power particle accelerator applications. High gradient laser-driven acceleration holds the potential for greatly reducing size and costs of future machines, but typically requires very high peak laser powers. On the other hand, MHz pulse trains of TW-class laser beams are much beyond the state of the art, so that laser recycling and recirculation is a necessary step to bridge that gap. In this experiment we demonstrate for the first time an inverse free electron laser accelerator (IFEL) operating within an active optical cavity showing the ability to laser-accelerate electron bunch trains in burst mode at $g20\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MHz}$ repetition rate. The experimental setup, synchronization challenges and acceleration results are presented. It is found that careful control of the dispersive properties of the cavity is required in order to sustain high accelerating gradients over many passes in the laser pulse train.

A high-brilliance ($\sim10^{24}$~photon.s$^{-1}$.mm$^{-2}$.mrd$^{-2}$/0.1\%) gamma-ray source experiment is currently being planned at Fermilab ($E_\gamma\simeq 1.1$~MeV)~[1]. The source implements a high-repetition-rate inverse Compton scattering by colliding electron bunches formed in a 300-MeV superconducting linac with a high-intensity laser pulse. This paper describes the design rationale along with some of technical challenges associated to producing high-repetition-rate collision. The expected performances of the gamma-ray source are also presented., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

In conventional linear accelerators, the beam is accelerated with a synchronous harmonic of the radio frequency field where the electric field component is collinear with the beam direction. This approach requires the design of complex accelerating structures, especially for low-energy heavy ions. If the beam motion were sustainably coupled to transverse electromagnetic fields, this could significantly simplify the accelerating structure design, and even allow acceleration with free-space waves. However, despite the long history of the proposed concept for accelerating low-velocity ion beams, it has not found practical application, partially because of the complexity of the technical design. In this paper, we present a practical design approach for this undulator-based accelerator for low-energy heavy-ions, reminiscent of the inverse free electron laser operating principle, but in a different parameter space.

The development of high-gradient accelerating structures for low-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ particles is the key for compact hadron linear accelerators. A particular example of such a machine is a hadron therapy linac, which is a promising alternative to cyclic machines, traditionally used for cancer treatment. Currently, the practical utilization of linear accelerators in radiation therapy is limited by the requirement to be under 50 m in length. A usable device for cancer therapy should produce 200--250 MeV protons and/or $400--450\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{u}$ carbon ions, which sets the requirement of having $35\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ average ``real-estate gradient'' or gradient per unit of actual accelerator length, including different accelerating sections, focusing elements and beam transport lines, and at least $50\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ accelerating gradients in the high-energy section of the linac. Such high accelerating gradients for ion linacs have recently become feasible for operations at S-band frequencies. However, the reasonable application of traditional S-band structures is practically limited to $\ensuremath{\beta}=\mathrm{v}/\mathrm{c}g0.4$. However, the simulations show that for lower phase velocities, these structures have either high surface fields ($g200\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$) or low shunt impedances ($l35\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{M}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}/\mathrm{m}$). At the same time, a significant ($\ensuremath{\sim}10%$) reduction in the linac length can be achieved by using the $50\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ structures starting from $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\sim}0.3$. To address this issue, we have designed a novel radio frequency structure where the beam is synchronous with the higher spatial harmonic of the electromagnetic field. In this paper, we discuss the principles of this approach, the related beam dynamics and especially the electromagnetic and thermomechanical designs of this novel structure. Besides the application to ion therapy, the technology described in this paper can be applied to future high gradient normal conducting ion linacs and high energy physics machines, such as a compact hadron collider. This approach preserves linac compactness in settings with limited space availability.

A coherent, mm-sub-mm-wave source driven by a RF electron gun is proposed for wide research applications as well as auxiliary inspection and screening, safe imaging, cancer diagnostics, surface defectoscopy, and enhanced time-domain spectroscopy. It allows generation of high peak and average THz-sub-THz radiation power provided by beam pre-bunching and chirping in the RF gun followed by microbunching in magnetic compressor, and resonant Cherenkov radiation of an essentially flat beam in a robust, ∼inch-long, planar, mm-sub-mm gap structure. The proof-of-principle has been successfully demonstrated in Phase I on a 5 MeV beam of L-band thermionic injector of Idaho Accelerator Center. The system can also deliver an intense, ps-sub-ps bursts of low-to-moderate dose of relativistic electrons and X-ray radiation produced by the same beam required for pulsed radiolysis as well as to enhance screening efficiency, throughput and safety.

In this paper, we present a new kind of high power and high efficiency free-electron laser oscillator based on the application of the tapering enhanced stimulated superradiant amplification (TESSA) scheme. The main characteristic of the TESSA scheme is a high intensity seed pulse which provides high gradient beam deceleration and efficient energy extraction. In the oscillator configuration, the TESSA undulator is driven by a high repetition rate electron beam and embedded in an optical cavity. A beam-splitter is used for outcoupling a fraction of the amplified power and recirculate the remainder as the intense seed for the next electron beam pulse. The mirrors in the oscillator cavity refocus the seed at the undulator entrance and monochromatize the radiation. In this paper we discuss the optimization of the system for a technologically relevant example at 1 $\mu$m using a 1~MHz repetition rate electron linac starting with an externally injected igniter pulse., Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures

We discuss the feasibility of enhancement of the gap field in a short-period hybrid undulator by using pole inserts with the saturation inductance B s , over that of iron, 2 T. Dysprosium metal, with the saturation inductance of 3.4 T below 90 K, and Gadolinium with B s =2.7 T, appear as good candidates as the optimized pole material. However, due to the high magnetic anisotropy of Dy, such a high level of magnetization can only be realized when the external field lies in the basal plane. This implies that the pole has to be single-crystalline or highly textured. Considering that growing large, > 10 mm , Dy single crystals is difficult, we propose secondary recrystallization as a method to induce the required texture in thin Dy and Gd foils. The textured foils can be stacked to produce pole inserts of the desired geometry and orientation. Results of small-scale processing and magnetic measurements of thin (20–60 μ) foils provide evidence that the required texture quality can be achieved by a relatively simple sequence of heat-treatments and cold rolling. The advantage of textured Dy and Gd poles is demonstrated in a several period test undulator.

Ongoing research on Compton radiation sources is aimed toward developing university-scale compact x-ray- and gamma-radiation-sources. Novel conceptual approaches are being pursued along different routes: One research direction lies in multiplying the source’s repetition rate, and increasing its average brightness by placing the point of Compton interaction inside an optical cavity. High-gradient plasma-wakefield accelerators are fast becoming a practical reality, offering a new paradigm for compact all-optical Compton sources operating in x-ray- and gamma-regions. Continually bettering the quality of the beam of plasma accelerators promises the achievement of fully coherent Compton x-rays, thereby prompting the evolution of the Compton source to an all-optical free-electron laser. Intense lasers can move the high-energy cut-off limit in a Compton spectrum by efficiently generating high-order harmonics. The ATF’s user- and upgrade- programs based on ultra-fast CO2 laser technology strongly support all thes...

The use of a plasmonics-enhanced photoconductive antenna (PCA) optically gated by a near infrared (NIR) pulse enables non-invasive time-of-arrival measurements of a low charge electron beam with respect to the NIR reference, achieving picosecond resolution. The measured signal values show the expected scaling with the beam charge and distance from PCA to the beam axis, as the PCA samples the electric field of the passing electron beam. We operate the device with an NIR spot size much larger than the PCA active-area, resulting in a very simple optical setup and alignment procedure, making the plasmonics-enhanced PCA a preferred alternative to more complex timing diagnostics for applications requiring non-invasive picosecond or sub-picosecond timestamping.

We report observations of an intense sub-THz radiation extracted from a ∼3 MeV electron beam with a flat transverse profile propagating between two parallel oversized copper gratings with side openings. Low-loss radiation outcoupling is accomplished using a horn antenna and a miniature permanent magnet separating sub-THz and electron beams. A tabletop experiment utilizes a radio frequency thermionic electron gun delivering a thousand momentum-chirped microbunches per macropulse and an alpha-magnet with a movable beam scraper producing sub-mm microbunches. The radiated energy of tens of micro-Joules per radio frequency macropulse is demonstrated. The frequency of the radiation peak was generated and tuned across two frequency ranges: (476–584) GHz with 7% instantaneous spectrum bandwidth, and (311–334) GHz with 38% instantaneous bandwidth. This prototype setup features a robust compact source of variable frequency, narrow bandwidth sub-THz pulses.

Chirped beam manipulations are of the great interest to the free electron laser (FEL) community as potential means of obtaining ultra short X-ray pulses. The experiment is under way at the accelerator test facility (ATF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to study the FEL process limits with the under-compressed chirped electron beam. High gain near-saturation SASE operation was achieved with the strongly chirped beam (∼2.8% head-to-tail). The measured beam dynamics and SASE properties are presented, as well as the design parameters for the next round of experiment utilizing the newly installed UCLA/ATF chicane compressor.

VISA (Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier) is a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous emission FEL, which achieved saturation at 840 nm within a single-pass 4-m undulator. A gain length shorter than 18 cm has been obtained, yielding the gain of 2 ×108 at saturation. The FEL performance, including spectral, angular, and statistical properties of SASE radiation, has been characterized for different electron beam conditions. The results are compared to 3-D SASE FEL theory and start-to-end numerical simulations of the entire injector, transport, and FEL system. Detailed agreement between simulations and experimental results is obtained over the wide range of the electron beam parameters.© 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The experimental characterization of nonlinear harmonic generation (NHG) and electron beam microbunching at saturation from a visible SASE FEL are presented in this report. The gain lengths, spectra and energies of NHG were experimentally measured up to the third harmonic, and agree with theoretical predictions. Electron beam microbunching in both the fundamental and the second harmonic as the function of the SASE output were experimentally observed over the full range of SASE gain. The bunching factors for both the fundamental (b1) and second harmonic (b2) were experimentally characterized at saturation. The microbunching data provides another test of SASE saturation as well as correlating the NHG and electron beam microbunching modes to the fundamental SASE.© 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.PACS: 41.60. Cr;41.60. Ap;4185. Ja

Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier is a free electron laser (FEL) designed to saturate at a radiation wavelength of 800 nm within a 4 m long, strong focusing undulator. Large gain is achieved by driving the FEL with 72 MeV, high brightness beam of BNL's accelerator test facility. We present measurements that demonstrate saturation in addition to the frequency spectrum of the FEL radiation. Energy, gain length and spectral characteristics are compared and shown to agree with simulation and theoretical predictions.

Spiking electron beam driven plasma waves with novel laser-driven underdense photocathodes can produce electron witness bunches with extreme brightness. The development of such hybrid systems and their potential as future plasma-based accelerators and compact yet high performance light sources is discussed.

The Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) FEL is designed to obtain high gain at a radiation wavelength of 800 nm. The FEL uses the high brightness electron beam of the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF), with energy of 72 MeV. VISA uses a novel, 4 m long, strong focusing undulator with a gap of 6 mm and a period of 1.8 cm. To obtain large gain the beam and undulator axis have to be aligned to better than 5 μm. Results from initial measurements on the alignment, gain, and spectrum will be presented and compared to theoretical calculations and simulations.

Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) is an emerging compact X-ray source technology, where the small source size and high spectral brightness are of interest for multitude of applications. However, to satisfy the practical flux requirements, a high-repetition-rate ICS system needs to be developed. To this end, this paper reports the experimental demonstration of a high peak brightness ICS source operating in a burst mode at 40 MHz. A pulse train interaction has been achieved by recirculating a picosecond CO2 laser pulse inside an active optical cavity synchronized to the electron beam. The pulse train ICS performance has been characterized at 5- and 15- pulses per train and compared to a single pulse operation under the same operating conditions. With the observed near-linear X-ray photon yield gain due to recirculation, as well as noticeably higher operational reliability, the burst-mode ICS offers a great potential for practical scalability towards high duty cycles.

We describe the status and initial commissioning of the Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) experiment. VISA uses a strong focusing 4 m undulator, the Brookhaven National Laboratory ATF linac with an energy of 72 MeV, and a photoinjector electron source. The VISA fundamental radiation wavelength is near 800 nm and the power expected at saturation is near 60 MW. Power, angular and spectral measurements are planned for the VISA radiation and these results will be analyzed and compared with SASE FEL theory and computer simulation. In addition, the induced electron beam micro-bunching will be measured using coherent transition radiation.

Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) (e.g. U-235, Pu-239) can be detected by active interrogation with gamma rays (>6 MeV) through photofission. For long-range detection (∼1 km), an intense beam of gamma rays (∼10 14 per second) is required in order to produce measurable number of neutrons. The production of such fluxes of gamma rays, and in the pulse formats useful for detection, presents many technical challenges, and requires novel approaches to the accelerator and laser technology. RadiaBeam is currently designing a gamma ray source based on Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) from a high-energy electron beam. To achieve this, improvements in photoinjector, linac, final focus, and laser system are planned. These enhanced sub-systems build on parallel work being performed at RadiaBeam, UCLA, and elsewhere. A high-repetition rate photoinjector, a high-gradient S-band linac, and a laser pulse recirculator will be used. The proposed system will be a transportable source of high-flux, high-energy quasi-monochromatic gamma rays for active interrogation of special nuclear materials.

The microbunch distribution of an electron beam exiting a SASE free-electron laser has been measured using the emitted coherent transition radiation (CTR) produced from a thin aluminum foil placed at the end of the undulator. The wavelength of the coherent transition radiation is shown to be the same as the FEL wavelength, and thus a measure of the beam microbunch spacing. Also, the study of the CTR linewidth and angular acceptance of the radiation captured are shown to be derived from this coherent radiative process. Scattering effects on the forward emitted transition radiation from the electron beam traversing an aluminum foil are also considered.

We report the measurement of electron-beam microbunching at the exit of a self-amplified spontaneous-emission free-electron laser (SASE FEL), by observation of coherent transition radiation (CTR).thinsp The CTR was found to have an angular spectrum much narrower than spontaneous transition radiation and a narrow-band frequency spectrum. The central frequency of the fundamental CTR spectrum is found to differ slightly from that of the SASE, a finding in disagreement with previously invoked CTR theory. The CTR measurement establishes the uniformity of microbunching in the transverse dimension, indicating the SASE FEL operates in a dominant transverse mode. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society }

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 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.

The bunch length of an electron beam derived from the UCLA Saturnus photoinjector has been measured using a 45° CTR foil. The sudden change of electrons boundary conditions cause them to radiate (transition radiation) with the spectral power entirely dependent upon the degree of coherency, which strongly relates to the beam size. A polarizing Michelson interferometer allowed measurement of the auto-correlation of the coherent transition radiation signal. An analysis method was developed to compensate for undetected low-frequency radiation and systematically extract the bunch length information for a specific beam model. This analysis allowed observation of pulse lengthening due to the space charge, as well as compression with the variation of the RF injection phase. The hypothesis of a satellite beam has been also tested using this analysis.

A proposal for a linear collider based on an advanced accelerator scheme, plasma wake-field acceleration in the extremely nonlinear regime, is discussed. In this regime, many of the drawbacks associated with preservation of beam quality during acceleration in plasma are mitigated. The scaling of all beam and wake parameters with respect to plasma wavelength is examined. Experimental progress towards high-gradient acceleration in this scheme is reviewed. We then examine a linear collider based on staging of many modules of plasma wake-field accelerator, all driven by a high average current, pulse compressed, RF photoinjector-fed linac. Issue of beam loading, efficiency, optimized stage length, and power efficiency are discussed. A proof-of-principle experimental test of the staging concept at the Fermilab test facility is discussed.

We report measurements of large gain for a single pass free-electron laser operating in self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) at 16 \ensuremath{\mu}m starting from noise. We also report the first observation and analysis of intensity fluctuations of the SASE radiation intensity in the high gain regime. The results are compared with theoretical predictions and simulations.

The measurement of the transverse phase-space map, or transport matrix, of a relativistic electron in a high-gradient, radio-frequency linear accelerator (rf linac) at the UCLA photoinjector is reported. This matrix, which indicates the effects of acceleration (adiabatic damping), first-order transient focusing, and ponderomotive second-order focusing, is measured as a function of both rf field amplitude and phase in the linac. The elements of the matrix, determined by observation of centroid motion at a set of downstream diagnostics due to deflections induced by a set of upstream steering magnets, compare well with previously developed analytical theory [J. Rosenzweig and L. Serafini, Phys. Rev. E {bold 49}, 1599 (1994)]. The determinant of the matrix is obtained, yielding a direct confirmation of trace space adiabatic damping. Implications of these results on beam optics at moderate energy in high-gradient linear accelerators such as rf photoinjectors are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

A high-energy 5 μm laser source which will be used to pump a dielectric photonic structure for GV-per-meter electron acceleration has been designed and modeled. The source utilizes two-step ultrafast optical parametric amplification and can be pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser. The experimental implementation and system integration are in progress. We describe 5-μm seed pulse generation using optical parametric generation in AgGaS2 and ZnGeP2 crystals and the commissioning of a 2-μm pump source, including supercontinuum generation and the preliminary results on the amplification of the signal beam at 1.3 μm.

We describe a comprehensive project, funded under the DARPA AXiS program, to develop an all-optical table-top X-ray FEL based on dielectric acceleration and electromagnetic undulators, yielding a compact source of coherent X-rays for medical and related applications. The compactness of this source demands that high field (>GV/m) acceleration and undulation-inducing fields be employed, thus giving rise to the project’s acronym: GV/m AcceLerator And X-ray Integrated Experiment (GALAXIE). There are numerous physics and technical hurdles to surmount in this ambitious scenario, and the integrated solutions include: a biharmonic photonic TW structure, 200 micron wavelength electromagnetic undulators, 5 μm laser development, ultra-high brighness magnetized/asymmetric emittance electron beam generation, and SASE FEL operation. We describe the overall design philosophy of the project, the innovative approaches to addressing the challenges presented by the design, and the significant progress towards realization of these approaches in the nine months since project initialization.

A real-time interferometer (RTI) has been developed to monitor the bunch length of an electron beam in an accelerator. The RTI employs spatial autocorrelation, reflective optics, and a fast response pyro-detector array to obtain a real-time autocorrelation trace of the coherent radiation from an electron beam thus providing the possibility of online bunch-length diagnostics. A complete RTI system has been commissioned at the A0 photoinjector facility to measure sub-mm bunches at 13 MeV. Bunch length variation (FWHM) between 0.8 ps (~0.24 mm) and 1.5 ps (~0.45 mm) has been measured and compared with a Martin-Puplett interferometer and a streak camera. The comparisons show that RTI is a viable, complementary bunch length diagnostic for sub-mm electron bunches.

High-resolution measurement of the longitudinal profile of a relativistic electron beam is of utmost importance for linac based free-electron lasers and other advanced accelerator facilities that employ ultrashort bunches. In this paper, we investigate a novel scheme to measure ultrashort bunches (subpicosecond) with exceptional temporal resolution (hundreds of attoseconds) and dynamic range. The scheme employs two orthogonally oriented deflecting sections. The first imparts a short-wavelength (fast temporal resolution) horizontal angular modulation on the beam, while the second imparts a long-wavelength (slow) angular kick in the vertical dimension. Both modulations are observable on a standard downstream screen in the form of a streaked sinusoidal beam structure. We demonstrate, using scaled variables in a quasi-1D approximation, an expression for the temporal resolution of the scheme and apply it to a proof-of-concept experiment at the UCLA Neptune high-brightness injector facility. The scheme is also investigated for application at the SLAC NLCTA facility, where we show that the subfemtosecond resolution is sufficient to resolve the temporal structure of the beam used in the echo-enabled free-electron laser. We employ beam simulations to verify the effect for typical Neptune and NLCTA parameter sets and demonstrate the feasibility of the concept.

Of particular interest to x-ray free-electron laser light source facilities is the enhanced self-amplified spontaneous emission (ESASE) technique. ESASE requires an ultrafast (20–50 fs), high peak power, high repetition rate, reliable laser system working in the midinfrared spectral range (≥2 μm). These requirements can be met by a novel ultrafast midinfrared laser system based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA). OPCPA is a technique ideally suited for production of ultrashort laser pulses at the center wavelength of 2 μm. Some of the key features of OPCPA are the wavelength agility, broad spectral bandwidth, and negligible thermal load. The ESASE-compatible laser technology analysis and the preliminary OPCPA simulation results are presented.

Space charge and coherent synchrotron radiation may deteriorate electron beam quality when the beam passes through a magnetic bunch compressor. This paper presents the transverse phase-space tomographic measurements for a compressed beam at 60 MeV, around which energy the first stage of magnetic bunch compression takes place in most advanced linacs. Transverse phase-space bifurcation of a compressed beam is observed at that energy, but the degree of the space charge-induced bifurcation is appreciably lower than the one observed at 12 MeV. The Trafic4 simulation confirms the observation.

The radiation emitted from a chicane compressor has been studied at the Brookhaven national laboratory (BNL) accelerator test facility (ATF). Coherent edge radiation (CER) is emitted from a compressed electron beam as it traverses sharp edge regions of a magnet. The compression is accompanied by strong self-fields, which are manifested as distortions in the momentum space called beam bifurcation. Recent measurements indicate that the bunch length is approximately 150 fs rms. The emitted THz chicane radiation displays strong signatures of CER. This paper reports on the experimental characterization and subsequent analysis of the chicane radiation measurements at the BNL ATF with a discussion of diagnostics development and implementation. The characterization includes spectral analysis, far-field intensity distribution, and polarization effects. Experimental data is benchmarked to a custom developed start-to-end simulation suite.

A chicane compressor developed by UCLA for the production of ultra-short, 60 MeV electron beams at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Accelerator Test Facility has been commissioned, and initial beam physics experiments have been performed. These measurements have established the compression of electron beams to the 100 femtosecond (1 kA peak current) regime, via coherent transition radiation (CTR) based measurements. Investigations of coherent edge radiation (CER) include signatures that differentiate it from coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR), such as polarization and far-field angular distribution. Additionally, the radiation wavelength spectrum is determined from autocorrelation measurements. Radiation properties are compared to detailed start-to-end simulations derived from PARMELA and QUINDI (a Lienard-Wiechert code developed at UCLA). Plans for future experiments which further explore the observed wavelength spectra are presented.