SLAC (Standford Linear Accelerator Center) Low Emittance Accelerator Test Facility

摘要

SLAC is proposing to build a new Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) capable of producing a 50 MeV electron beam with an extremely low geometric tranverse emittance (1.5 x 10 sup -10 rad.m) for the purpose of testing new methods of acceleration. The low emittance will be achieved by assembling a linear accelerator using one standard SLAC three-meter section and a 400 kV electron gun with a very small photocathode (40 microns in diameter). The photocathode will be illuminated from the back by short bursts (on the order of 6 ps) of visible laser light which will produce bunches of about 10 sup 5 electrons. Higher currents could be obtained by illuminating the cathode from the front. The gun will be mounted directly against the accelerator section. Calculations show that in the absence of an rf buncher, injection of these 400 keV small radius electron bunches roughly 30 deg ahead of crest produces negligible transverse emittance growth due to radial rf forces. Acceleration of the electrons up to 50 MeV followed by collimation, energy slits and focusing will provide a 3.2 mm long waist of under 1.5 mu m in diameter where laser acceleration and other techniques can be tested.