Author: Weathersby, S.P.
Paper Title Page
MOP014 Status and Upgrades of the NLCTA for Studies of Advanced Beam Acceleration, Dynamics, and Manipulation 130
 
  • M.P. Dunning, C. Adolphsen, T.S. Chu, E.R. Colby, A. Gilevich, C. Hast, R.K. Jobe, C. Limborg-Deprey, D.J. McCormick, B.D. McKee, J. Nelson, T.O. Raubenheimer, K. Soong, G.V. Stupakov, Z.M. Szalata, D.R. Walz, F. Wang, S.P. Weathersby, M. Woodley, D. Xiang
    SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
 
  The Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA) is a low-energy electron accelerator (120 MeV) at SLAC that is used for ultra-high gradient X-band RF structure testing and advanced accelerator research. Here we give an overview of the current program at the facility, including the E-163 direct laser acceleration experiment, the echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) FEL experiment, narrow-band THz generation, coherent optical transition radiation (COTR) studies, microbunching instability studies, and X-band structure testing. We also present the upgrades that are currently underway and some future programs utilizing these upgrades, including extension of the EEHG experiments to higher harmonics, and an emittance exchange experiment.  
 
TUP293 ESTB: A New Beam Test Facility at SLAC 1373
 
  • M.T.F. Pivi, H. Fieguth, C. Hast, R.H. Iverson, J. Jaros, R.K. Jobe, L. Keller, D.R. Walz, S.P. Weathersby, M. Woods
    SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
 
  End Station Test Beam (ESTB) is an end beam line at SLAC using a small fraction of the 13.6 GeV electron beam from the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), restoring test beam capabilities in the large End Station A (ESA) experimental hall. In the past, 18 institutions participated in the ESA program at SLAC. The ESTB program will provide one of a kind test beams essential for developing accelerator instrumentation and accelerator R&D, performing particle and astroparticle physics detector research, linear collider machine and detector interface (MDI) R&D, developing of radiation-hard detectors and material damage studies with several distinctive features. At this stage, 4 new kicker magnets are added to divert 5 Hz of LCLS beam to the A-line, a new beam dump is installed and a new PPS system is built in ESA. In a second stage, a secondary hadron target will be installed, able to produce pions up to about 12 GeV/c at 1 particle/pulse. In summary, ESTB provides a new test facility for LHC detector upgrades, Super B Factory detector development, and Linear Collider accelerator and detector R&D with the first beam expected by June and users starting operations by July 2011.  
 
THP170 Observation and Characterization of Coherent Optical Radiation and Microbunching Instability in the SLAC Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator 2426
 
  • S.P. Weathersby, M.P. Dunning, C. Hast, R.K. Jobe, D.J. McCormick, J. Nelson, D. Xiang
    SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
 
  The NLC Test Accelerator (NLCTA) at SLAC is currently configured for a proof-of-principle echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) experiment using a 120 MeV beam. During commissioning, unexpected coherent optical undulator radiation (CUR) and coherent optical transition radiation (COTR) was observed when beam is accelerated off-crest and compressed after the chicanes. The CUR and COTR is likely due to a microbunching instability where initial small modulations in the cathode drive laser pulse are compressed and amplified. In this paper we present the observation and characterization of the CUR, COTR and microbunching instability at NLCTA.
* D. Xiang et al., "Demonstration of the Echo-Enabled Harmonic Generation Technique for Short-Wavelength Seeded Free Electron Lasers", PRL 105, 114801, 2010.
 
 
TUODS3
Experimental Demonstration of the Echo-enabled Harmonic Generation Technique for Seeded FELs  
 
  • D. Xiang, E.R. Colby, M.P. Dunning, A. Gilevich, C. Hast, R.K. Jobe, D.J. McCormick, J. Nelson, T.O. Raubenheimer, K. Soong, G.V. Stupakov, Z.M. Szalata, D.R. Walz, S.P. Weathersby, M. Woodley
    SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
 
  Funding: This work was supported by the US DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.
Recently the scheme of echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG*) was proposed for short wavelength seeded FELs. This scheme allows far higher harmonic numbers to be accessed and makes the generation of coherent soft x-ray directly from a UV seed laser in a single stage possible**. In this paper we present the experimental demonstration*** of this echo harmonic technique at the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA) at SLAC, where the coherent radiation at the harmonic frequency of the seed laser is generated using the 120 MeV electron beam. The experiment confirms the physics behind this technique and paves the way for applying it for seeded x-ray FELs.
* G. Stupakov, Phys. Rev. Lett, ZeHn2, 074801 (2009).
** D. Xiang and G. Stupakov, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12, 030702 (2009).
*** D. Xiang, at al, Phys. Rev. Lett, ZeHn5, 114801 (2010).
 
slides icon Slides TUODS3 [3.936 MB]