Uni HH, Hamburg
DESY, Hamburg
Since 2004, the free-electron laser FLASH at DESY has operated in the Self-Amplified Stimulated Emission mode (SASE), delivering gigawatt pulses with wavelengths between 6.5 nm and 40 nm in the femtosecond domain. In 2009, DESY installed an additional radiofrequency module for controlling the phase space of the electron bunches that gives the possibility to generate bunches with high peak currents (~kA), but ten times larger pulse durations (~250 fs) compared to the previous configuration. The relaxed timing requirements of the new configuration make it possible to externally seed FLASH with high-order harmonics of an optical laser below 40nm generated in a gas target (sFLASH). Because in this case amplification is triggered within the seed pulse length instead of starting from shot-noise as in the SASE process, spikes in the temporal/spectral pulse profiles should be absent and the temporal jitter should be eliminated. In this contribution the present status of the sFLASH photon diagnostics including first commissioning will be discussed.
Uni HH, Hamburg
DESY, Hamburg
PSI, Villigen
DELTA, Dortmund
The free-electron laser facility FLASH at DESY (Hamburg) was upgraded during a five month shutdown in winter 2009. Part of this upgrade was the installation of a direct seeding experiment in the XUV spectral range. Beside all components for transport and diagnostics of the photon beam in and out of the accelerator environment, a new 10m long variable gap undulator was installed upstream of the existing FLASH undulator system. The seed pulses are generated within a noble gas jet by focusing 40 fs long Ti:Sa laser pulses into it resulting a comb of higher harmonics. In the first phase of the experiment the 21st harmonic of the 800nm drive laser will be used to seed the FEL process. The commissioning of the experiment has started in April and the first results are expected after the FLASH commissioning period mid of summer 2010. The experimental setup and the commissioning procedures as well as first result will be presented.
DESY Zeuthen, Zeuthen
MBI, Berlin
DESY, Hamburg
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
HZB, Berlin
Uni HH, Hamburg
The Photo Injector Test facility at DESY, Zeuthen site (PITZ), develops and optimizes electron sources for Free Electron Lasers (FEL’s) such as FLASH and European XFEL. The electrons are generated by the photo effect using a cesium telluride (Cs2Te) cathode and are accelerated in an 1.6-cell L-band RF-gun cavity with about 60MV/m maximum accelerating field at the cathode. The upgraded laser system at PITZ produces flat-top and Gaussian laser pulses of different time durations. Emittance measurements have been done for short Gaussian laser temporal profile ~2ps FWHM and for 6.6 MeV electron beam energy. The transverse projected emittance was measured for various transverse laser spot sizes at the cathode and different low bunch charges to find an optimum condition for thermal emittance measurements. ASTRA simulations were performed for various measurement conditions to estimate the space charge contribution to the emittance. The comparison of emittance measurement results and simulations is presented and discussed in this contribution.
DESY Zeuthen, Zeuthen
DESY, Hamburg
JINR, Dubna, Moscow Region
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
HZB, Berlin
Uni HH, Hamburg
Transverse projected emittance optimization is one of the main research activities at the Photo Injector Test facility at DESY, Zeuthen site (PITZ). The emittance measurement program in the 2009 run period concentrated on projected emittance measurements using a single sit scan technique. The photocathode laser profile has been optimized yielding small emittance. The flat-top temporal profile has been used in the standard projected emittance measurements. The small emittance values down to less than 1 mm-mrad have been measured for the nominal 1 nC bunch charge. Emittance optimizations for lower bunch charges have also been conducted using the same measurement setup and procedure as for the case of 1 nC. Numerical simulations have been carried out to compare the results with the measurements. Measurement and simulation results of the transverse emittance for the bunch charges of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 nC will be reported and discussed in this contribution.