Search Results (7 total)

The new generation of linac injectors driving free electron lasers in the self-amplified stimulated emission (SASE-FEL) regime requires high brightness electron beams to generate radiation in the wavelength range from UV to x rays. The choice of the injector working point and its matching to the linac structure are the key factors to meet this requirement. An emittance compensation scheme presently applied in several photoinjectors worldwide is known as the “Ferrario” working point. In spite of its great importance there was, so far, no direct measurement of the beam parameters, such as emittance, transverse envelope, and energy spread, in the region downstream the rf gun and the solenoid of a photoinjector to validate the effectiveness of this approach. In order to fully characterize the beam dynamics with this scheme, an innovative beam diagnostic device, the emittance meter, consisting of a movable emittance measurement system, has been designed and built. With the emittance meter, measurements of the main beam parameters in both transverse phase spaces can be performed in a wide range of positions downstream the photoinjector. These measurements help in tuning the injector to optimize the working point and provide an important benchmark for the validation of simulation codes. We report the results of these measurements in the SPARC photoinjector and, in particular, the first experimental evidence of the double minimum in the emittance oscillation, which provides the optimized matching to the SPARC linac.

In this Letter we report the first experimental observation of the double emittance minimum effect in the beam dynamics of high-brightness electron beam generation by photoinjectors; this effect, as predicted by the theory, is crucial in achieving minimum emittance in photoinjectors aiming at producing electron beams for short wavelength single-pass free electron lasers. The experiment described in this Letter was performed at the SPARC photoinjector site, during the first stage of commissioning of the SPARC project. The experiment was made possible by a newly conceived device, called an emittance meter, which allows a detailed and unprecedented study of the emittance compensation process as the beam propagates along the beam pipe.

The VUV and soft x-ray free electron laser FLASH (former VUV-FEL) is a user facility at DESY (Hamburg). In order to optimize the performance of the facility, an accurate characterization of the electron beam properties is essential. The transverse projected emittance, one of the important parameters characterizing the quality of an electron beam, is measured using a four monitor method with optical transition radiation monitors. A normalized rms emittance below 2 mm mrad for a 1 nC beam has been measured. In this paper we describe the experimental setup, data analysis methods, and present experimental results.

Results of the first experimental search for the effect of the prewave zone in near-infrared transition radiation are presented. A substantial difference in the spatial distribution of transition relation for two different wavelengths (450 nm and 1600 nm) was observed. Experimental data are in a good, though not complete, agreement with the theory.

Experimental results are presented from vacuum-ultraviolet free-electron laser (FEL) operating in the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) mode. The generation of ultrashort radiation pulses became possible due to specific tailoring of the bunch charge distribution. A complete characterization of the linear and nonlinear modes of the SASE FEL operation was performed. At saturation the FEL produces ultrashort pulses (30–100 fs FWHM) with a peak radiation power in the GW level and with full transverse coherence. The wavelength was tuned in the range of 95–105 nm.

Measurements of coherent diffraction radiation from a slit of variable width generated by short electron bunches were performed in millimeter and submillimeter ranges. Experimental data are compared with the transition radiation case and theoretical predictions. A more realistic description than the conventional theory is necessary to account for the data correctly. No noticeable difference in the estimated bunch length was observed using diffraction radiation in a wide range of slit widths and transition radiation.

We present the first observation of self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) in a free-electron laser (FEL) in the vacuum ultraviolet regime at 109 nm wavelength (11 eV). The observed free-electron laser gain (approximately 3000) and the radiation characteristics, such as dependency on bunch charge, angular distribution, spectral width, and intensity fluctuations, are all consistent with the present models for SASE FELs.