DULY Research Inc., Rancho Palos Verdes, California
High-gradient electron guns can suppress space-charge induced transverse emittance growth when the electron beam is still in the low-energy injection stage. A synchronizable, high-voltage pulser can be used to power up a high-gradient gun. We propose to build a 200 kV pulser using a special trigger that utilizes a laser-photocathode sub-system. A laser trigger beam will first energize a spark gap, and then provide a second trigger signal from a photocathode using its leftover energy, to further close the gap. This system will not only raise the utilization efficiency of the laser beam energy, but also enhance the reliability of the trigger circuit. Our preliminary analysis shows that the proposed system will significantly improve the performance of the laser trigger pulse with the jitter on the order of hundreds of picoseconds. It is expected that the pulser can be used in the applications of high gradient guns as well as in other devices that need high precision trigger such as short pulse lasers, streak cameras, impulse radiating antennas, etc.
