LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
JLAB, Newport News, Virginia, USA
Fermilab, Batavia, USA
The NGLS collaboration is developing design concepts for a multi-beamline soft x-ray FEL array powered by a superconducting linear accelerator, operating with a high bunch repetition rate of approximately 1 MHz. The CW superconducting linear accelerator design is based on developments of TESLA and ILC technology, and is supplied by an injector based on a high-brightness, high-repetition-rate photocathode electron gun. Electron bunches from the linac are distributed by RF deflecting cavities to the array of independently configurable FEL beamlines with nominal bunch rates of ~100 kHz in each FEL, with uniform pulse spacing, and some FELs capable of operating at the full linac bunch rate. Individual FELs may be configured for different modes of operation, including self-seeded and external-laser-seeded, and each may produce high peak and average brightness x-rays with a flexible pulse format, and with pulse durations ranging from femtoseconds and shorter, to hundreds of femtoseconds. In this paper we describe current design concepts, and progress in R&D activities.
BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York, USA
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, USA
Fermilab, Batavia, USA
LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
Cornell University (CLASSE), Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Ithaca, New York, USA
ANL, Argonne, USA
Alkali antimonide photocathodes are a prime candidate for use in high-brightness photoinjectors of free electron lasers and 4th generation light sources. These materials have complex growth kinetics - many methods exist for forming the compounds, each with different grain size, roughness, and crystalline texture. These parameters impact the performance of the cathodes, including efficiency, intrinsic emittance and lifetime. In situ analysis of the growth of these materials has allowed investigation of correlations between cathode structure and growth parameters and the resulting quantum efficiency (QE). The best cathodes have a QE at 532 nm in excess of 6% and are structurally textured K2CsSb with grain sizes in excess of 20 nm. X-ray reflection (XRR) has been used to characterize the roughness evolution of the cathode, while X-ray Diffraction (XRD) has been used to characterize the texture, grain size and stoichometry.
SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
QE and transverse momentum are key parameters limiting the achievable brightness of FELs. Despite the importance, little data is available to substantiate current models. Expressions for each and experimental confirmation of each expression with respect to excess energy are presented. Novel instrumentation and analysis techniques developed are described.