Electron emission characterization of Mg photocathode grown by pulsed laser deposition within an S-band rf gun

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been proposed several years ago as a suitable technique to deposit a pure Mg film over a radio frequency (rf) gun Cu backflange in order to obtain a high efficiency photocathode surface for the generation of high brightness electron beams. In this paper we report preliminary experimental results on the emission properties of a PLD grown Mg film within the high electric field gradients of a rf gun showing the effects of the rf conditioning process on the cathode surface. Even though a laser cleaning process should be performed on the sample surface in order to remove contaminated layers, the results presented here are very promising for the realization of a final Mg-based photocathode.