In the injector section of electron linacs, both internal space charge forces and wakefield effects influence the beam dynamics. So far, existing simulation approaches can not account for both effects simultaneously. To fill this gap, we have developed a computational method to account for both effects self-consistently*. It couples a space charge solver in the rest frame of the bunch with a wakefield solver by means of a scattered field formulation. The novelty of this approach is that it enables us to simulate the creation of wakefields throughout the emission and acceleration process. In our contribution, we present extensive studies of the coupled wakefield and space charge effects in a traveling wave electron gun under development at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Wakefields created by the multi-cell design and the transition to the beam pipe are accounted for. Hence, the respective influences of these causes for geometric wakefields on particle dynamics are compared, providing detailed insights into the coupling of wakefields on bunches at low energies. Specifically, uncorrelated energy spread and emittance are investigated which are of key interest for FEL operation.

The international e-e FCC study group aims to design an accelerator complex capable of injecting tunable and high charge electron-positron bunches into a collider with center-of-mass energy between 90 and 365 GeV. The injector complex will boost the initial energy of the electron-positron bunches using multiple linacs accelerating only electrons, only positrons, and both species up to the booster injection energy of 20 GeV. The requirements on the charge poses several challenges for the injector chain due to the important role played by the wakefield both in the longitudinal and in the transverse planes. We optimized the bunch length, the RF aperture of the accelerating cavities and the linacs’ layout to match the target parameters at the booster injection. In the longitudinal space we studied the impact of the wakefield on the final beam energy spread. In the transverse plane we minimized the emittance growth due to static errors along the different sections using several orbit steering algorithms, and we verified the impact of dynamic errors for the most promising designs. Furthermore, we designed an energy compressor to add flexibility to our design, and to widely scan the beam charge without strongly modifying the final bunch parameters. In this work we present a summary of these studies, which led to the linac design satisfying all the present requests for the injection to the booster. This current design is the basis for the injector complex cost estimation.

The PSI Positron Production experiment, known as P\textsuperscript{3} or \textit{P-cubed}, is a proof-of-principle positron source and capture system that can greatly improve the state-of-the-art positron yield. The P\textsuperscript{3} project is led by the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, and addresses the long-standing challenge faced by conventional injector facilities to generate, capture, and damp the emittance of high-current positron beam, which is a major limiting factor for the feasibility of future electron-positron colliders. P\textsuperscript{3} follows the same basic principles as its predecessors, utilizing a positron source driven by pair-production and an RF linac with a high-field solenoid focusing system. However, it incorporates pioneering technology, such as high-temperature superconducting solenoids, that can outperform significantly the present positron capture efficiency rates. The P\textsuperscript{3} experiment will be hosted at PSI's SwissFEL, and will serve as the positron source test facility of CERN's FCC-ee. This paper outlines the concept, technology, infrastructure, physics studies and diagnostics of P\textsuperscript{3}.

Transverse deflection structures (TDS) are used as diagnostic tools for linac-based accelerators. Since their reintroduction in the early 2000s, their development has been continued in several laboratories, in particular to improve temporal resolution given the ongoing tendency of getting shorter and shorter electron bunches. Furthermore, the development of a new TDS with variable streaking direction has opened up new possibilities to diagnose, using tomographic techniques, multidimensional phase space to investigate complex beam dynamics. In recent years, in parallel with the development of TDS based on RF structures, TDS based on self-induced fields in corrugated or dielectric structures, the so-called passive streaking, have also been used as diagnostics to retrieve the temporal properties of particle beams. In this contribution, these devices will also be discussed by comparing advantages and disadvantages with TDS based on RF structures.

The storage ring from the SLS is currently in the process of a significant upgrade to a new multi-bend achromat that aims to improve the performance of the machine by allowing it to deliver even brighter beams to the beamlines. The linear accelerator of the SLS is an ageing piece of infrastructure that needs to continue to run for the few decades to continue to feed SLS 2.0 reliably. In this work, we investigate potential upgrades to the linac with the aim of reducing the overall complexity of the system.

MeV ultrafast electron diffraction has become a new frontier for the study of molecular dynamics. With the temporal resolution of MeV-UED being limited by the electron bunch length at the target, electron sources used for this technique are becoming ever more intricate in the the push for shorter bunches length. However, moving to these complex setups makes them less feasible in a small-scale setting, such as universities, where keV-UED setups have become common place. In this paper, we use a novel travelling-wave RF photogun without any additional bunch compressor to generate ultra-short electron pulses whose lengths rival that of the most intricate magnetic or ballistic compression schemes. The broadband nature of the TW device allows for unique operation schemes that combines significant acceleration and compression all within the TW photogun. Such a device, when combined with state-of-the-art synchronization systems and lasers will be demonstrated to cross the so-called ‘50-fs time-resolution barrier’ and push towards the femtosecond regime.

An international collaboration between PSI and INFN-LNF has been undertaken with the aim of developing the next generation of high brightness electron sources. Through this collaboration, two unique high gradient RF photoguns that operate in the C-band frequency regime have been designed and realized. Concurrent to this, a new high power test stand at the Paul Scherrer Institut has been commissioned to test these novel devices. Here we report on the new test stand and the first results from the high-power testing of these devices.

In autumn 2023, the FCC Feasibility Study underwent a crucial “mid-term review”. We describe some accelerator performance risks for the proposed future circular electron- positron collider, FCC-ee, identified for, and during, the mid-term review. For the collider rings, these are the collective effects when running on the Z resonance – especially resistive wall, beam-beam, and electron cloud –, the beam lifetime, dynamic aperture, alignment tolerances, and beam-based alignment. For the booster, the primary concern is the vacuum system, with regard to impedance and effects of the residual gas. For the injector, the layout and the linac repetition rate are primary considerations. We discuss the various issues and report the planned mitigations.

In the injector section of electron linacs, both internal space charge forces and wakefield effects influence the beam dynamics. So far, existing simulation approaches can not account for both effects simultaneously. To fill this gap, we have developed a computational method to account for both effects self-consistently*. It couples a space charge solver in the rest frame of the bunch with a wakefield solver by means of a scattered field formulation. The novelty of this approach is that it enables us to simulate the creation of wakefields throughout the emission and acceleration process. In our contribution, we present extensive studies of the coupled wakefield and space charge effects in a traveling wave electron gun under development at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Wakefields created by the multi-cell design and the transition to the beam pipe are accounted for. Hence, the respective influences of these causes for geometric wakefields on particle dynamics are compared, providing detailed insights into the coupling of wakefields on bunches at low energies. Specifically, uncorrelated energy spread and emittance are investigated which are of key interest for FEL operation.

RF photo-gun are the electron beam sources of FELs or Compton facilities. They are key components and, presently, the RF technology mostly used for these devices is the S band (3 GHz) with typical cathode peak fields of 80-120 MV/m and repetition rates lower than 100-120 Hz. An innovative C-Band (5.712 GHz) RF gun aiming at reaching cathode peak field larger than 160 MV/m, with repetition rates exceeding the 400 Hz, has been designed, realized and high power tested in the context of the European I.FAST and INFN Commission V projects. It is a 2.5 cell standing wave cavity with a four-port mode launcher, designed to operate with short RF pulses (300 ns). Its realization is based on the new brazed-free technology developed and successfully tested at INFN. In the paper, after a short overview of the design and RF gun capabilities, we illustrate the realization procedure and the results of the high power RF tests that have been done at the high power C band test facility at PSI (Switzerland).