High-intensity multi-bunch beam generation by a photo-cathode RF gun

A multi-bunch photo-cathode RF gun system has been developed as an electron source for the production of intense quasi-monochromatic X-rays based on inverse Compton scattering. The desired multi-bunch beam is 100 bunches/pulse with a total charge of 500 nC and a bunch spacing of 2.8 ns. We modified the gun cavity of a ‘BNL-type IV’ RF gun to allow a CsTe cathode plug in the end plate. The system uses a four-dipole chicane beam line to allow the injection of laser light normal to the cathode surface. We compensate the gun cavity beam loading caused by the high-intensity multi-bunch electron beam by injecting the laser pulse before RF power has filled the cavity. We have achieved a total intensity of 220 nC in 100 bunches with a bunch-to-bunch energy spread under 1.3% (peak-to-peak). This paper concentrates on experiments to generate the high-intensity multi-bunch beam with compensation of the bunch-to-bunch energy spread due to heavy beam loading.     

Bunch length measurement of picosecond electron beams from a photoinjector using coherent transition radiation

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.     

Equilibrium phase instability in the double RF system for Landau damping

A longitudinal coupled bunch instability in an electron storage ring was suppressed by the Landau damping in a double rf system composed of a second harmonic rf cavity. The damping became ineffective, however, above a beam current of 30 mA; the beam bunch slipped out of the optimum phase of the total rf voltage for the damping, which accompanied a simultaneous deformation of the total voltage. The unexpected phenomenon of the phase slip is explained by the concept of equilibrium phase instability of the beam bunch based on a rigid bunch model. The phase slip of the bunch was suppressed by introducing a phase feedback loop, resulting in an improvement of the maximum beam current for the damping. Discussions are made on various conditions of the equilibrium phase instability, including another possibility for avoiding the phase slip.     

Start-to-end simulations of SASE FEL at the TESLA Test Facility, phase 1

Phase 1 of the vacuum ultra-violet free-electron laser (FEL) at the TESLA Test Facility recently concluded operation. It successfully demonstrated the saturation of a SASE FEL in the wavelength range of 80–120 nm. We present a posteriori start-to-end numerical simulations of this FEL. These simulations are based on the programs Astra and elegant for the generation and transport of the electron distribution. An independent simulation of the intricate beam dynamics in the magnetic bunch compressor is performed with the program CSRtrack. The SASE FEL process is simulated with the code FAST. From our detailed simulations and the resulting phase space distribution at the undulator entrance, we found that the FEL was driven only by a small fraction (slice) of the electron bunch. This “lasing slice” is located in the head of the bunch, and has a peak current of approximately 3 kA. A strong energy chirp (due to the space charge field after compression) within this slice had a significant influence on the FEL operation. Our study shows that the radiation pulse duration is about 40 fs (FWHM) with a corresponding peak power of 1.5 GW. The simulated FEL properties are compared with various experimental data and found to be in excellent agreement.     

RF properties of a X-band hybrid photoinjector

An INFN-LNF/UCLA/SAPIENZA collaboration is developing a hybrid photoinjector in X-band. A hybrid photoinjector is a novel high brightness electron source that couples a standing wave cell cavity (acting as an RF gun) directly to a multi-cell travelling-wave structure. This configuration offers a number of advantages over the split standing wave/travelling-wave system. Most notably the reflected RF transient is almost completely suppressed, thus eliminating the need for a circulator and the bunch lengthening effect that occurs in the drift section of the split system. These properties allow scaling of the device to higher field and frequencies, which should dramatically improve beam brightness. The RF coupling between the standing and the traveling wave sections is accomplished in the fourth cell encountered by the beam, with the SW section electrically coupled to it on-axis. This mode of coupling is particularly advantageous, as it is accompanied by a 90° phase shift in the accelerating field, resulting in strong velocity bunching effects on the beam that reverse the usual bunch lengthening induced after the gun exit in standard 1.6 cell photoinjectors. In this scenario, from the beam dynamics point of view, it is seen that device may produce ten's of femtosecond beams at ∼3.5 MeV and the emittance compensation dynamics remains manageable even in the presence of strong compression. We present here a survey of the device characteristics. In particular we show the results of the electromagnetic simulations, a beam dynamics analysis related to the temperature tuning of the SW and TW section, and a RF characterization using bead pull and scattering coefficient measurements of a device prototype.     

Calculation of the Characteristics of Infrared Synchrotron Radiation

Subroutines for calculating the spectral and angular characteristics of infrared synchrotron radiation are developed. Corresponding calculations are carried out for a number of proton and electron accelerators. The results obtained enable methods to be developed for beam diagnostics as well as highly sensitive detectors of infrared radiation for remote contactless nondestructive diagnostics and for investigating bunches and high-speed processes in ring-type (CERN/SEPS-LHC) and linear (GSI bunch target) accelerators, and also the thermal fields in nuclear power plants.Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 53–58, March, 2005.     

Design considerations for a higher-order-mode dielectric-loaded power extractor set for millimeter-wave generation

The design of an electron-beam excited device for millimeter-wave generation is presented. Referred to as a dielectric-loaded power extractor, it is based on the higher-order-mode operation of a dielectric-loaded waveguide. With a matching transition, the unit can deliver power to the output waveguide at one of two frequencies, 20.8 and 35.1 GHz, corresponding to the TM₀₂ and TM₀₃ modes, respectively. By properly choosing the thickness of the dielectric lining, both modes are tuned to synchronize with an ultra-relativistic electron beam traversing the unit so that the wakefield generated by the beam is excited at these modes, chosen to be at 20.8 and 35.1 GHz, respectively, both corresponding to a harmonic of the 1.3 GHz operating frequency at an accelerator facility. Power generated in the unintended TM₀₁ mode is effectively suppressed for bunch train operation by a novel technique. The device consists of a dielectric-loaded decelerating structure and two changeable output couplers to deliver the millimeter-wave power to a standard waveguide. For a drive beam with 50 nC of charge per bunch, power levels of 90.4 and 8.68 MW are expected to be delivered by the device at 20.8 and 35.1 GHz, respectively.     

Production of the Hf isomer using a 4.5-GeV electron accelerator

High-productivity methods are required for the accumulation of long-lived isomers in amounts that are sufficient for the creation of experimental targets. A tantalum sample was activated with the Yerevan synchrotron using 4.5-GeV bremsstrahlung and the presence of ^178m2Hf was detected with good statistical accuracy by γ-activity measurements. The integrated and mean cross-section values were deduced from the experiment. The isomer-to-ground-state ratio was then estimated and compared with that known for the p+ Ta reaction studied at 660 MeV. In the present experiment, both converter and target were relatively thin for better definition of the experimental conditions. However, an assembly designed for high-productivity irradiations should be thick and then the converter can also serve as the target sample when irradiated with a high-energy electron beam. The optimization of the isomer production was solved analytically and the largest estimated yield was determined as calibrated to the experimental yield. The maximum yield of ^178m2Hf was found to be of about 3×10⁹ nuclei/s using an electron beam current of 100 μA. This is lower than the yield achieved with proton beams, although for a practical comparison the total cost and radiation safety conditions should be considered. The present results provide a basis for numerical estimations.     

Numerical investigation of Cherenkov radiations emitted by an electron beam bunch in isotropic double-negative metamaterials

The electron-beam-induced Cherenkov radiations in isotropic double-negative metamaterials (DNMs) are numerically investigated in this paper. The frequency-dependent permittivity and permeability functions are approximated by the Drude-Lorentz model. This model is implemented by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and the auxiliary difference equation (ADE) methods. The interaction between electromagnetic fields and electrons is simulated by the particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The fundamental physics of the direct and the reversed Cherenkov radiations from an electron beam bunch in a typical sandwich structure is well presented. The numerical results show that the use of an electron beam bunch rather than an ultra short laser pulse to excite DNMs raises questions and novel opportunities regarding the selectivity with which Cherenkov radiations with different components and frequencies can be excited.     

Thermal Properties Measurement of Micro-electromechanical System Sensors by Digital Moire Method

Abstract:  The thermal properties of a micro-electromechanical system sensor were analysed by a novel digital moiré method. A double-layer micro-cantilever sensor (60  μ m long, 10  μ m width and 2  μ m thick) was prepared by focused ion beam milling. A grating with frequency of 5000 lines mm⁻¹ was etched on the cantilever. The sensor was placed into a scanning electron microscope system with a high temperature device. The observation and recording of the thermal deformation of the grating were realised in real-time as the temperature rose from room temperature to 300 °C at intervals of 50 °C. Digital moiré was generated by interference of the deformed grating and a digital virtual grating. The thermal properties including strain distribution of the sensor and the linear expansion coefficient of polysilicon were accurately measured by the phase-shifted moiré patterns.     

Design of a polarized positron source for linear colliders

We propose a design of a polarized positron source for linear colliders. The design is based on electron–positron pair creation from polarized γ-rays which are produced by Compton scattering of circularly polarized laser light off a high-energy electron beam. Polarized positrons are created from those γ-rays incident on a thin conversion target. A future linear collider of the TeV-energy region requires an extraordinary large number of positrons (1×10¹⁰ positrons/bunch) in a multi-bunch time structure. To meet these requirements, our design employs a high-current, low-emittance electron beam of 5.8 GeV, 10 CO₂ lasers, and 200 laser–electron collision-points. At each collision point, a pair of specially designed parabolic mirrors is installed to achieve efficient head-on collisions. This system allows us to produce high-intensity polarized γ-rays, which effectively generate high-intensity polarized positrons with the magnitude of polarization greater than 50%.     

Wake-field characteristics of a high-intensity, multibunched beam

A systematic experimental study on the wake-field characteristics of a high-intensity, multibunched electron beam was carried out in detail at the primary electron section of the KEK positron generator linac. The observed energy spectrum, which indicated the energy variation of one bunch from another, was explained fairly well by the multibunch effect of a longitudinal wake field; the importance of introducing a self-wake loss and a bunch-length effect into calculations of the energy loss due to a longitudinal wake field is noted. On the other hand, a transverse motion of each bunch, showing a peculiar behavior when the transverse instability occurred, was in good agreement with the results of a numerical calculation based on a multibunch version of Wilson's two-particle model. In both cases, the wake field for our cavity was estimated using a computer code called TBCI.     

光电技术在合肥光源束测量系统中的应用

介绍了光电技术在合肥同步辐射加速器束流测量系统中的应用。介绍了合肥 2 0 0 Me V电子直线加速器利用光电二极管阵列的能谱测量系统、合肥 80 0 Me V电子储存环利用 CCD技术的束流截面测量系统以及利用单光子计数法测量束团纵向精细结构。本文给出了测量结果。     

Thin film deposition on plastic substrates using silicon nanoparticles and laser nanoforming

Reduced melting temperature of nanoparticles is utilized to deposit thin polycrystalline silicon (c-Si) films on plastic substrates by using a laser beam without damaging the substrate. An aqueous dispersion of 5 nm silicon nanoparticles was used as precursor. A Nd:YAG (1064 nm wavelength) laser operating in continuous wave (CW) mode was used for thin film formation. Polycrystalline Si films were deposited on flexible as well as rigid plastic substrates in both air and argon ambients. The films were analyzed by optical microscopy for film formation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructural features, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for impurities, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for composition and bond information of the recrystallized film and Raman spectroscopy for estimating shift from amorphous to more crystalline phase. Raman spectroscopy showed a shift from amorphous to more crystalline phases with increasing both the laser power and irradiation time during laser recrystallization step.     

Overall comparison of subpicosecond electron beam diagnostics by the polychromator, the interferometer and the femtosecond streak camera

Measurements of longitudinal bunch length of subpicosecond and picosecond electron beams have been performed by three methods with three radiation sources at the 35 MeV S-band twin liner accelerators at Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Tokyo. The methods we adopt are the femtosecond streak camera with a nondispersive reflective optics, the coherent transition radiation (CTR) Michelson interferometer and the 10 ch polychromator that detects the spectrum of CTR and coherent diffraction radiation (CDR). The measurements by the two CTR methods were independently done with the streak camera and their results were consistent with one another. As a result, the reliability of the polychromator for the diagnostics of less than picosecond electron bunch and the usefulness of the diagnostics for the single shot measurement were verified. Furthermore, perfect nondestructive diagnostics for subpicosecond bunches was performed utilizing CDR interferometry. Then the good agreement between CDR interferometry and the streak camera was obtained.     

Design modelling and measured performance of the vacuum system of the Diamond Light Source storage ring

A one-dimensional diffusion model of the Diamond Light Source storage ring vacuum system is described and its predictions are compared with actual measured static (without beam) and dynamic (with beam) pressures over more than 2000 A h of beam conditioning at 3 GeV. An average specific thermal outgassing yield of 1·10⁻¹¹ mbar l/(s cm²) during initial beam circulation is obtained, which reduces to 2·10⁻¹² mbar l/(s cm²) after an accumulated beam dose of 1000 A h and an elapsed time of 769 days. In the presence of stored electron beam, the pressure rises as expected due to photon stimulated desorption (PSD). The PSD yield reduces with beam dose according to a (−2/3) power law as was applied in the model. Predicted and measured dynamic pressures generally agree within a factor of 2 over the whole range of beam conditioning dose studied.     

Čerenkov superradiance from a subnanosecond electron bunch in a sectional decelerating system

Induced coherent radiation (superradiance) from a subnanosecond electron bunch in a combined decelerating system has been investigated experimentally. In a first section formed by a periodically modulated waveguide, the density of the bunch is modulated and it then radiates in a second section formed by a waveguide partially filled with a dielectric. At an electron energy of 250 keV and a peak current of 800 A, millimeter radiation pulses with powers up to 2 MW and lengths up to 800 ps were obtained. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 14–19 (December 26, 1997)     

Pulsed 5-GW resonance relativistic BWT for a decimeter wavelength range

The results of numerical modeling and experimental investigation of a high-power, resonance relativistic backward wave tube are presented. By using the working TM₀₁ mode reflections from the ends of the electrodynamic system, optimum conditions for the electron beam interaction with both the (−1)st harmonic of the backward electromagnetic wave and the main harmonic of the concurrent wave are achieved. A single mode generation with 5 GW output power and a 30% efficiency was obtained in experiments at a frequency of 3.6 GHz. The working frequency can be controlled within 15% (at the half maximum power level) by changing the slow-wave structure period at the constant electron beam parameters.     

Electron source and acceleration regime of a picosecond electron beam in a gas-filled diode with inhomogeneous field

It is experimentally demonstrated that, upon the application of a subnanosecond high-voltage pulse to the gap of a diode filled with air at atmospheric pressure, a bunch of runaway electrons is formed in a sharply inhomogeneous electric field near the cathode. The bunch duration does not exceed 50 ps, which is shorter than the electron flight time through the interelectrode gap in the continuous acceleration regime. This duration remained unchanged when the gap width was varied between 6 and 26 mm. The electron energy in the picosecond electron beam, as determined from the time-of-flight measurements in the drift channel behind the anode foil of the diode, agree with the results of numerical calculations of the electron acceleration dynamics in the vacuum diode approximation.     

Elementary processes involved in the interaction of a solid with a bunch of active gas particles

We propose a new method for investigating processes at the solid-gas interface, which is based on the interaction of the solid surface with a bunch of active species carried by a gas. Using this method, the radical recombination luminescence (RRL) kinetics in crystalline phosphors (CaO-Mn, ZnS-Tm, and ZnS-Cu) excited by a bunch of hydrogen atoms was studied during a time interval of 0.1 s at a temporal resolution of 10 ms. From these RRL measurements, data on the stages of the heterogeneous reaction H+H→H₂ were obtained. It was found that the RRL intensity of a ZnS-Cu phosphor decreases with increasing surface electron excitation level. The phenomenon of the total light yield accumulation in ZnS-Cu was observed, which is explained by ionization of the surface electron states.