SLAC's Polarized Electron Source LaserSystem and Minimization of Helicity Correlations for the E-158 Parity Violation Experiment
SLAC E-158 is an experiment designed to make the first measurement of parity violation in Moeller scattering. E-158 will measure the right-left cross-section asymmetry, A{sub LR}{sup Moeller}, in the elastic scattering of a 45-GeV polarized electron beam off unpolarized electrons in a liquid hydrogen target. E-158 plans to measure the expected Standard Model asymmetry of {approx} 10{sup -7} to an accuracy of better than 10{sup -8}. To make this measurement, the polarized electron source requires for operation an intense circularly polarized laser beam and the ability to quickly switch between right- and left-helicity polarization states with minimal right-left helicity-correlated asymmetries in the resulting beam parameters (intensity, position, angle, spot size, and energy), {sup beam}A{sub LR}'s. This laser beam is produced by a unique SLAC-designed flashlamp-pumped Ti:Sapphire laser and is propagated through a carefully designed set of polarization optics. We analyze the transport of nearly circularly polarized light through the optical system and identify several mechanisms that generate {sup beam}A{sub LR}'s. We show that the dominant effects depend linearly on particular polarization phase shifts in the optical system. We present the laser system design and a discussion of the suppression and control of {sup beam}A{sub LR}'s. We also present results on beam performance from engineering and physics runs for E-158.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 801993
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-9381; TRN: US0205628
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 6 Sep 2002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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