Showing papers in "Physical Review Special Topics-accelerators and Beams in 2010"

Physics considerations for laser-plasma linear colliders

Abstract: Physics considerations for a next-generation linear collider based on laser-plasma accelerators are discussed. The ultrahigh accelerating gradient of a laser-plasma accelerator and short laser coupling distance between accelerator stages allows for a compact linac. Two regimes of laser-plasma acceleration are discussed. The highly nonlinear regime has the advantages of higher accelerating fields and uniform focusing forces, whereas the quasilinear regime has the advantage of symmetric accelerating properties for electrons and positrons. Scaling of various accelerator and collider parameters with respect to plasma density and laser wavelength are derived. Reduction of beamstrahlung effects implies the use of ultrashort bunches of moderate charge. The total linac length scales inversely with the square root of the plasma density, whereas the total power scales proportional to the square root of the density. A 1 TeV center-of-mass collider based on stages using a plasma density of ${10}^{17}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ requires tens of $J$ of laser energy per stage (using $1\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ wavelength lasers) with tens of kHz repetition rate. Coulomb scattering and synchrotron radiation are examined and found not to significantly degrade beam quality. A photon collider based on laser-plasma accelerated beams is also considered. The requirements for the scattering laser energy are comparable to those of a single laser-plasma accelerator stage.

Density-transition based electron injector for laser driven wakefield accelerators

Abstract: We demonstrate a laser wakefield accelerator with a novel electron injection scheme resulting in enhanced stability, reproducibility, and ease of use. In order to inject electrons into the accelerating phase of the plasma wave, a sharp downward density transition is employed. Prior to ionization by the laser pulse this transition is formed by a shock front induced by a knife edge inserted into a supersonic gas jet. With laser pulses of 8 fs duration and with only 65 mJ energy on target, the accelerator produces a monoenergetic electron beam with tunable energy between 15 and 25 MeV and on average 3.3 pC charge per electron bunch. The shock-front injector is a simple and powerful new tool to enhance the reproducibility of laser-driven electron accelerators, is easily adapted to different laser parameters, and should therefore allow scaling to the energy range of several hundred MeV.

Nonlinear accelerator lattices with one and two analytic invariants

Abstract: Integrable systems appeared in physics long ago at the onset of classical dynamics with examples being Kepler's and other famous problems. Unfortunately, the majority of nonlinear problems turned out to be nonintegrable. In accelerator terms, any 2D nonlinear nonintegrable mapping produces chaotic motion and a complex network of stable and unstable resonances. Nevertheless, in the proximity of an integrable system the full volume of such a chaotic network is small. Thus, the integrable nonlinear motion in accelerators has the potential to introduce a large betatron tune spread to suppress instabilities and to mitigate the effects of space charge and magnetic field errors. To create such an accelerator lattice one has to find magnetic and electric field combinations leading to a stable integrable motion. This paper presents families of lattices with one invariant where bounded motion can be easily created in large volumes of the phase space. In addition, it presents 3 families of integrable nonlinear accelerator lattices, realizable with longitudinal-coordinate-dependent magnetic or electric fields with the stable nonlinear motion, which can be solved in terms of separable variables.

Characterization and applications of a tunable, laser-based, MeV-class Compton-scattering γ -ray source

Abstract: A high peak brilliance, laser-based Compton-scattering $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray source, capable of producing quasimonoenergetic photons with energies ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 MeV has been recently developed and used to perform nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments. Techniques for characterization of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray beam parameters are presented. The key source parameters are the size ($0.01\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{mm}}^{2}$), horizontal and vertical divergence ($6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}10\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{mrad}}^{2}$), duration (16 ps), and spectrum and intensity (${10}^{5}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{photons}/\mathrm{shot}$). These parameters are summarized by the peak brilliance, $1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{15}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{photons}/{\mathrm{mm}}^{2}/{\mathrm{mrad}}^{2}/\mathrm{s}/0.1%$ bandwidth, measured at 478 keV. Additional measurements of the flux as a function of the timing difference between the drive laser pulse and the relativistic photoelectron bunch, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray beam profile, and background evaluations are presented. These results are systematically compared to theoretical models and computer simulations. NRF measurements performed on $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ in LiH demonstrate the potential of Compton-scattering photon sources to accurately detect isotopes in situ.

Measurements of the linac coherent light source laser heater and its impact on the x-ray free-electron laser performance

Abstract: The very bright electron beam required for an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL), such as the linac coherent light source (LCLS), is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors, prior to the FEL undulator. The uncorrelated electron energy spread in the LCLS can be increased by an order of magnitude to provide strong Landau damping against the instability without degrading the FEL performance. To this end, a ``laser-heater'' system has been installed in the LCLS injector, which modulates the energy of a 135-MeV electron bunch with an IR-laser beam in a short undulator, enclosed within a four-dipole chicane. In this paper, we report detailed measurements of laser-heater-induced energy spread, including the unexpected self-heating phenomenon when the laser energy is very low. We discuss the suppression of the microbunching instability with the laser heater and its impact on the x-ray FEL performance. We also present the analysis of these experimental results and develop a three-dimensional longitudinal space charge model to explain the self-heating effect.

Detailed characterization of electron sources yielding first demonstration of European X-ray Free-Electron Laser beam quality

Abstract: The photoinjector test facility at DESY, Zeuthen site (PITZ), was built to develop and optimize photoelectron sources for superconducting linacs for high-brilliance, short-wavelength free-electron laser (FEL) applications like the free-electron laser in Hamburg (FLASH) and the European x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL). In this paper, the detailed characterization of two laser-driven rf guns with different operating conditions is described. One experimental optimization of the beam parameters was performed at an accelerating gradient of about 43 MV=m at the photocathode and the other at about 60 MV=m. In both cases, electron beams with very high phase-space density have been demonstrated at a bunch charge of 1 nC and are compared with corresponding simulations. The rf gun optimized for the lower gradient has surpassed all the FLASH requirements on beam quality and rf parameters (gradient, rf pulse length, repetition rate) and serves as a spare gun for this facility. The rf gun studied with increased accelerating gradient at the cathode produced beams with even higher brightness, yielding the first demonstration of the beam quality required for driving the European XFEL: The geometric mean of the normalized projected rms emittance in the two transverse directions was measured to be 1:26 ` 0:13 mm mrad for a 1-nC electron bunch. When a 10% charge cut is applied excluding electrons from those phase-space regions where the measured phase-space density is below a certain level and which are not expected to contribute to the lasing process, the normalized projected rms emittance is about 0.9 mm mrad.

High field Q slope and the baking effect: Review of recent experimental results and new data on Nb heat treatments

Abstract: Here, the performance of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities made of bulk Nb at high fields (peak surface magnetic field greater than about 90 mT) is characterized by exponentially increasing rf losses (high-field Q-slope), in the absence of field emission, which are often mitigated by low temperature (100-140 °C, 12-48 h) baking. In this contribution, recent experimental results and phenomenological models to explain this effect will be briefly reviewed. New experimental results on the high-field Q-slope will be presented for cavities that had been heat treated in a vacuum furnace at high temperature without subsequent chemical etching. These studies are aimed at understanding the role of hydrogen on the high-field Q-slope and at the passivation of the Nb surface during heat treatment. Improvement of the cavity performances, particularly of the cavities’ quality factor, have been obtained following the high temperature heat-treatments, while SIMS surface analysis measurements on Nb samples treated with the cavities revealed significantly lower hydrogen concentration than for samples that followed standard cavity treatments.

Design and Operation of a tunable MeV-level Compton-scattering-based γ-ray source

Abstract: A monoenergetic gamma-ray (MEGa-ray) source based on Compton scattering, targeting nuclear physics applications such as nuclear resonance fluorescence, has been constructed and commissioned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In this paper, the overall architecture of the system, as well as some of the design decisions (such as laser pulse lengths and interaction geometry) made in the development of the source, are discussed. The performances of the two laser systems (one for electron production, one for scattering), the electron photoinjector, and the linear accelerator are also detailed, and initial $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray results are presented.

Beam dynamics in high intensity cyclotrons including neighboring bunch effects: Model, implementation, and application

Abstract: Space-charge effects, being one of the most significant collective effects, play an important role in high intensity cyclotrons. However, for cyclotrons with small turn separation, other existing effects are of equal importance. Interactions of radially neighboring bunches are also present, but their combined effects have not yet been investigated in any great detail. In this paper, a new particle in the cell-based self-consistent numerical simulation model is presented for the first time. The model covers neighboring bunch effects and is implemented in the three-dimensional object-oriented parallel code OPAL-CYCL, a flavor of the OPAL framework. We discuss this model together with its implementation and validation. Simulation results are presented from the PSI 590 MeV ring cyclotron in the context of the ongoing high intensity upgrade program, which aims to provide a beam power of 1.8 MW (CW) at the target destination. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.13.064201

Emittance and divergence of laser wakefield accelerated electrons

Abstract: We apply the pepper-pot method to measure in a single shot the transverse emittance of quasimonoenergetic electrons with 20 MeV energy produced by laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). The large divergence of LWFA beams ($g1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mrad}$ typical) compared to conventional rf accelerator beams places additional restrictions on the pepper-pot design. The LWFA beam is found to have a normalized rms transverse emittance of ${ϵ}_{N}=2.3\ensuremath{\pi}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mm}\text{ }\mathrm{mrad}$, with a shot-to-shot fluctuation of 17%. This emittance is comparable to state-of-the-art injectors for conventional linear accelerators. In addition, we examine the beam divergence of LWFA electrons. Simulations and theory indicate that an adiabatic reduction in the beam divergence occurs when the transition region of the downstream plasma density profile is comparable to the betatron period of the electron beam in the plasma accelerator.

CERN Large hadron collider optics model, measurements, and corrections

Abstract: Optics stability during all phases of operation is crucial for the LHC. Tools and procedures have been developed for rapid checks of beta beating, dispersion, and linear coupling, as well as for prompt optics corrections. Important optics errors during the different phases of the beam commissioning were observed and locally corrected using the segment-by-segment technique. The most relevant corrections at injection have been corroborated with dedicated magnetic measurements.

Threshold studies of the microwave instability in electron storage rings

Abstract: We use a Vlasov-Fokker-Planck program and a linearized Vlasov solver to study the microwave instability threshold of impedance models: (1) a Q = 1 resonator and (2) shielded coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR), and find the results of the two programs agree well. For shielded CSR we show that only two dimensionless parameters, the shielding parameter {Pi} and the strength parameter S{sub csr}, are needed to describe the system. We further show that there is a strong instability associated with CSR, and that the threshold, to good approximation, is given by (S{sub csr})th = 0.5 + 0.12{Pi}. In particular, this means that shielding has little effect in stabilizing the beam for {Pi} {approx}< 2; for larger {Pi} it is effective, with threshold current depending on shielding aperture as h{sup -3/2}. We, in addition, find another instability in the vicinity of {Pi} = 0.7 with a lower threshold, (S{sub csr}){sub th} {approx} 0.2. We find that the threshold to this instability depends strongly on damping time, (S{sub csr}){sub th} {approx} {tau}{sub p}{sup -1/2}, and that the tune spread at threshold is small - both hallmarks of a weak instability.

Physical and mechanical metallurgy of high purity Nb for accelerator cavities

Abstract: In the past decade, high $Q$ values have been achieved in high purity Nb superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. Fundamental understanding of the physical metallurgy of Nb that enables these achievements is beginning to reveal what challenges remain to establish reproducible and cost-effective production of high performance SRF cavities. Recent studies of dislocation substructure development and effects of recrystallization arising from welding and heat treatments and their correlations with cavity performance are considered. With better fundamental understanding of the effects of dislocation substructure evolution and recrystallization on electron and phonon conduction, as well as the interior and surface states, it will be possible to design optimal processing paths for cost-effective performance using approaches such as hydroforming, which minimizes or eliminates welds in a cavity.

Three-dimensional electromagnetic model of the pulsed-power Z -pinch accelerator

Abstract: A three-dimensional, fully electromagnetic model of the principal pulsed-power components of the 26-MA ZR accelerator [D. H. McDaniel et al., in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Dense $Z$-Pinches (AIP, New York, 2002), p. 23] has been developed. This large-scale simulation model tracks the evolution of electromagnetic waves through the accelerator's intermediate-storage capacitors, laser-triggered gas switches, pulse-forming lines, water switches, triplate transmission lines, and water convolute to the vacuum insulator stack. The insulator-stack electrodes are coupled to a transmission-line circuit model of the four-level magnetically insulated vacuum-transmission-line section and double-post-hole convolute. The vacuum-section circuit model is terminated by a one-dimensional self-consistent dynamic model of an imploding $z$-pinch load. The simulation results are compared with electrical measurements made throughout the ZR accelerator, and are in good agreement with the data, especially for times until peak load power. This modeling effort demonstrates that 3D electromagnetic models of large-scale, multiple-module, pulsed-power accelerators are now computationally tractable. This, in turn, presents new opportunities for simulating the operation of existing pulsed-power systems used in a variety of high-energy-density-physics and radiographic applications, as well as even higher-power next-generation accelerators before they are constructed.

Load-locked dc high voltage GaAs photogun with an inverted-geometry ceramic insulator

Abstract: A new dc high voltage spin-polarized photoelectron gun has been constructed that employs a compact inverted-geometry ceramic insulator. Photogun performance at 100 kV bias voltage is summarized.

X-ray pinhole camera resolution and emittance measurement

Abstract: Third generation synchrotron light sources are characterized by a low emittance and a low emittance coupling. Some light sources are already operating with extremely low coupling close to 0.1%. Measurement of the transverse beam size is generally used to measure the emittance and the coupling. To this end, several systems are currently used and an x-ray pinhole camera is one of them. In this paper we derive the point spread function of the x-ray pinhole camera both analytically and numerically using the Fresnel diffraction integral and taking into account the broadband spectrum of the bending magnet source, and we show that an optimized design allows the measurement of extremely small vertical beam sizes below $5\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$. The point spread function of several scintillator screens is also measured, and it shows that the contribution of the diffraction and the screen point spread functions have to be taken into account for an accurate measurement of a low coupling. Finally, we show measurements of the vertical beam sizes as small as $6\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ for our nonoptimized setup.

Simulation of proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration

Abstract: Proton beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration was recently proposed as a way to bring electrons to TeV energy range in a single plasma section. Here we present a detailed numerical analysis of this acceleration scheme. We identify the main effects limiting acceleration efficiency and ultimate energy gain, and formulate optimum conditions for acceleration.

Beam injection with a pulsed sextupole magnet in an electron storage ring

Abstract: We have developed a new beam injection system with a single pulsed sextupole magnet (PSM) at the photon factory storage ring (PF ring) in the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. We demonstrated beam injection with this system and succeeded in storing a beam current of 450 mA, which is the normal operating beam current of the PF ring. Top-up injection was also achieved. Coherent dipole oscillation of the stored beam and fluctuation of photon intensity observed at synchrotron radiation beam lines during the PSM injection became very small compared with a pulsed bump injection system that is normally used in the beam injection at the PF ring. This experiment is the first demonstration of beam injection using the PSM in an electron storage ring.

Algorithm for calculating spectral intensity due to charged particles in arbitrary motion

Abstract: An algorithm for calculating the spectral intensity of radiation due to the coherent addition of many particles with arbitrary trajectories is described. Direct numerical integration of the Lienard-Wiechert potentials, in the far field, for extremely high photon energies and many particles is made computationally feasible by a mixed analytic and numerical method. Exact integrals of spectral intensity are made between discretely sampled trajectories, by assuming the space-time four-vector is a quadratic function of proper time. The integral Fourier transform of the trajectory with respect to time, the modulus squared of which comprises the spectral intensity, can then be formed by piecewise summation of exact integrals between discrete points. Because of this, the calculation is not restricted by discrete sampling bandwidth theory and, hence, for smooth trajectories, time steps many orders larger than the inverse of the frequency of interest can be taken.

Laser-wakefield acceleration of electron beams in a low density plasma channel

Abstract: T. P. A. Ibbotson, N. Bourgeois, T. P. Rowlands-Rees, L. S. Caballero, S. I. Bajlekov, P. A. Walker, S. Kneip, S. P. D. Mangles, S. R. Nagel, C.A. J. Palmer, N. Delerue, G. Doucas, D. Urner, O. Chekhlov, R. J. Clarke, E. Divall, K. Ertel, P. S. Foster, S. J. Hawkes, C. J. Hooker, B. Parry, P. P. Rajeev, M. J. V. Streeter, and S.M. Hooker Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxon, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom (Received 10 August 2009; published 17 March 2010)

Short period, high field cryogenic undulator for extreme performance x-ray free electron lasers

Abstract: Short period, high field undulators can enable short wavelength free electron lasers (FELs) at low beam energy, with decreased gain length, thus allowing much more compact and less costly FEL systems. We describe an ongoing initiative to develop such an undulator based on an approach that utilizes novel cryogenic materials. While this effort was begun in the context of extending the photon energy regime of a laser-plasma accelerator based electron source, we consider here implications of its application to sub-fs scenarios in which more conventional injectors are employed. The use of such low-charge, ultrashort beams, which has recently been proposed as a method of obtaining single-spike performance in x-ray FELs, is seen in simulation to give unprecedented beam brightness. This brightness, when considered in tandem with short wavelength, high field undulators, enables extremely high performance FELs. Two examples discussed in this paper illustrate this point well. The first is the use of the SPARX injector at 2.1 GeV with 1 pC of charge to give 8 GW peak power in a single spike at 6.5 \AA{} with a photon beam peak brightness greater than ${10}^{35}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{photons}/(\mathrm{s}\text{ }{\mathrm{mm}}^{2}\text{ }{\mathrm{mrad}}^{2}\text{ }\text{ }0.1%\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{BW})$, which will also reach LCLS wavelengths on the 5th harmonic. The second is the exploitation of the LCLS injector with 0.25 pC, 150 as pulses to lase at 1.5 \AA{} using only 4.5 GeV energy; beyond this possibility, we present start-to-end simulations of lasing at unprecedented short wavelength, 0.15 \AA{}, using 13.65 GeV LCLS design energy.

Present status and first results of the final focus beam line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

Abstract: ATF2 is a final-focus test beam line which aims to focus the low emittance beam from the ATF damping ring to a vertical size of about 37 nm and to demonstrate nanometer level beam stability. Several advanced beam diagnostics and feedback tools are used. In December 2008, construction and installation were completed and beam commissioning started, supported by an international team of Asian, European, and U.S. scientists. The present status and first results are described.

Two-bunch self-seeding for narrow-bandwidth hard x-ray free-electron lasers

Abstract: It is well known that seeding can be used to produce narrow-bandwidth and fully coherent x-ray free-electron lasers (FELs). Self-seeding, which uses an extra undulator to generate the seed pulse, is perhaps one of the most promising methods to accomplish this. In the hard x-ray regime with high-energy electrons, this method requires a large magnetic chicane to match the path-length delay of the x-ray monochromator that selects a narrow bandwidth of radiation. Such a chicane not only takes a large footprint to build, but also may degrade the electron-beam qualities through incoherent and coherent synchrotron radiation. In this paper, we present an alternative two-bunch self-seeding scheme. The two bunches are precisely separated to match the x-ray delay of the monochromator and eliminate the need for a long, complex magnetic chicane. The spectrally filtered self-amplified spontaneous emission x-ray pulse produced by the first bunch is combined with the second electron bunch at the entrance of the second undulator and then amplified to the saturation level. We present start-to-end simulation results based on the linac coherent light source hard x-ray FEL and show that this method can produce a nearly fully coherent x-ray pulse at a few GW power level.

Overview of the Compact Linear Collider

Abstract: The CLIC study is exploring the scheme for an electron-positron collider with a center-of-mass energy of 3 TeV in order to make the multi-TeV range accessible for lepton physics. The current goal of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology by the year 2010. Recently, important progress has been made concerning the high-gradient accelerating structure tests and the experiments with beam in the CLIC test facility, CTF3. Several important aspects of the project are dealt with through international collaborations, which has considerably boosted the CLIC study.

Using the longitudinal space charge instability for generation of vacuum ultraviolet and x-ray radiation

Abstract: Longitudinal space charge (LSC) driven microbunching instability in electron beam formation systems of x-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) is a recently discovered effect hampering beam instrumentation and FEL operation. The instability was observed in different facilities in infrared and visible wavelength ranges. In this paper we propose to use such an instability for generation of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and x-ray radiation. A typical longitudinal space charge amplifier (LSCA) consists of few amplification cascades (drift space plus chicane) with a short undulator behind the last cascade. If the amplifier starts up from the shot noise, the amplified density modulation has a wide band, on the order of unity. The bandwidth of the radiation within the central cone is given by an inverse number of undulator periods. A wavelength compression could be an attractive option for LSCA since the process is broadband, and a high compression stability is not required. LSCA can be used as a cheap addition to the existing or planned short-wavelength FELs. In particular, it can produce the second color for a pump-probe experiment. It is also possible to generate attosecond pulses in the VUV and x-ray regimes. Some user experiments can profit from a relatively large bandwidth of the radiation, and this is easy to obtain in the LSCA scheme. Finally, since the amplification mechanism is broadband and robust, LSCA can be an interesting alternative to the self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (SASE FEL) in the case of using laser-plasma accelerators as drivers of light sources.

Measured and simulated transport of 1.9 MeV laser-accelerated proton bunches through an integrated test beam line at 1 Hz

Abstract: A laser-driven repetition-rated 1.9 MeV proton beam line composed of permanent quadrupole magnets (PMQs), a radio frequency (rf) phase rotation cavity, and a tunable monochromator is developed to evaluate and to test the simulation of laser-accelerated proton beam transport through an integrated system for the first time. In addition, the proton spectral modulation and focusing behavior of the rf phase rotation cavity device is monitored with input from a PMQ triplet. In the 1.9 MeV region we observe very weak proton defocusing by the phase rotation cavity. The final transmitted bunch duration and transverse profile are well predicted by the PARMILA particle transport code. The transmitted proton beam duration of 6 ns corresponds to an energy spread near 5% for which the transport efficiency is simulated to be 10%. The predictive capability of PARMILA suggests that it can be useful in the design of future higher energy transport beam lines as part of an integrated laser-driven ion accelerator system.

Simple method for generating adjustable trains of picosecond electron bunches

Abstract: A simple, passive method for producing an adjustable train of picosecond electron bunches is demonstrated. The key component of this method is an electron beam mask consisting of an array of parallel wires that selectively spoils the beam emittance. This mask is positioned in a high magnetic dispersion, low beta-function region of the beam line. The incoming electron beam striking the mask has a time/energy correlation that corresponds to a time/position correlation at the mask location. The mask pattern is transformed into a time pattern or train of bunches when the dispersion is brought back to zero downstream of the mask. Results are presented of a proof-of-principle experiment demonstrating this novel technique that was performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Accelerator Test Facility. This technique allows for easy tailoring of the bunch train for a particular application, including varying the bunch width and spacing, and enabling the generation of a trailing witness bunch.

Analysis and active compensation of microphonics in continuous wave narrow-bandwidth superconducting cavities

Abstract: Many proposals for next generation light sources based on single pass free electron lasers or energy recovery linac facilities require a continuous wave (cw) driven superconducting linac. The effective beam loading in such machines is very small and in principle the cavities can be operated at a bandwidth of a few Hz and with less than a few kW of rf power. However, a power reserve is required to ensure field stability. A major error source is the mechanical microphonics detuning of the niobium cavities. To understand the influence of cavity detuning on longitudinal beam stability, a measurement program has been started at the horizontal cavity test facility HoBiCaT at HZB to study TESLA-type cavities. The microphonics detuning spectral content, peak detuning values, and the driving terms for these mechanical oscillations have been analyzed. In combination with the characterization of cw-adapted fast tuning systems based on the piezoelectric effect this information has been used to design a detuning compensation algorithm. It has been shown that a compensation factor between 2‐7 is achievable, reducing the typical detuning of 2‐3 Hz rms to below 0.5 Hz rms. These results were included in rf-control simulations of the cavities, and it was demonstrated that a phase stability below 0.02 � can be achieved.

Electro-optic sampling at 90 degree interaction geometry for time-of-arrival stamping of ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction

Abstract: In this paper we study a new geometry setup for electro-optic sampling (EOS) where the electron beam runs parallel to the $⟨110⟩$ face of a ZnTe crystal and the probe laser is perpendicular to it and to the beam path. The simple setup is used to encode the time-of-arrival information of a $3.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}l10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{pC}$ electron bunch on the spatial profile of the laser pulse. The electric field lines inside the dielectric bend at an angle due to a relatively large ($n\ensuremath{\sim}3$) index of refraction of the ZnTe crystal. We found theoretically and experimentally that the EOS signal can be maximized with a proper choice of incoming laser polarization angle. We achieved single-shot nondestructive measurement of the relative time of arrival between the pump and the probe beams thus improving the temporal resolution of ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction experiments.

6.1-MV, 0.79-MA laser-triggered gas switch for multimodule, multiterawatt pulsed-power accelerators

Abstract: A 6.1-MV, 0.79-MA laser-triggered gas switch (LTGS) is used to synchronize the 36 modules of the $Z$ machine at Sandia National Laboratories. Each module includes one switch, which serves as the last command-fired switch of the module, and hence is used to determine the time at which each module electrically closes relative to the other modules. The switch is $\ensuremath{\sim}81\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\mathrm{cm}$ in length, $\ensuremath{\sim}45\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\mathrm{cm}$ in diameter, and is immersed in mineral oil. The outer switch envelope consists of six corrugated monomer-cast acrylic insulators and five contoured stainless-steel rings. The trigger electrodes are fabricated from copper-infused tungsten. The switch is pressurized with several atmospheres of sulfur hexafluoride (${\mathrm{SF}}_{6}$), which is turbulently purged within 2 seconds after every shot. Each switch is powered from a 6-MV, 0.78-MJ Marx generator which pulse charges a 24-nF intermediate-store water capacitor in $1.4\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$. Closure of the switch allows power to flow into pulse-forming transmission lines. The power pulse is subsequently compressed by water switches, which results in a total accelerator output power in excess of 70-TW. A previous version of the LTGS performed exceptionally at a 5.4-MV, 0.7-MA level on an engineering test module used for switch development. It exhibited a $1\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\ensuremath{\sigma}$ jitter of $\ensuremath{\sim}5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{ns}$, a prefire and flashover rate less than 0.1%, and a lifetime in excess of 150 shots. When installed on the $Z$ accelerator, however, the switch exhibited a prefire probability of $\ensuremath{\sim}3%$, a flashover probability of $\ensuremath{\sim}7%$, and a 15-ns jitter. The difference in performance is attributed to several factors such as higher total charge transfer, exposure to more debris, and more stressful dynamic mechanical loading upon machine discharge. Under these conditions, the replacement lifetime was less than ten shots. Since refurbishment of $Z$ in October 2007, there have been three LTGS design iterations to improve the performance at 6.1-MV. The most recent design exhibits a prefire rate of less than 0.1%, a flashover rate of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.2%$, a single switch jitter of $\ensuremath{\sim}6\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}\mathrm{ns}$, and a lifetime of greater than 75 shots. Modifications to achieve the performance improvement are detailed in this article.