Synchronization of Sub-Picosecond Electron and Laser Pulses

Conference · Tue Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.58932· OSTI ID:790384

Rosenzweig, J B ^[1]; G P, Le Sage

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1. llnl

Sub-picosecond laser-electron synchronization is required to take full advantage of the experimental possibilities arising from the marriage of modern high intensity lasers and high brightness electron beams in the same laboratory. Two particular scenarios stand out in this regard, injection of ultra-short electron pulses in short wavelength laser-driven plasma accelerators, and Compton scattering of laser photons from short electron pulses. Both of these applications demand synchronization, which is subpicosecond, with tens of femtosecond synchronization implied for next-generation experiments. Typically, an RF electron accelerator is synchronized to a short pulse laser system by detecting the repetition signal of a laser oscillator, adjusted to an exact subharmonic of the linac RF frequency, and multiplying or phase locking this signal to produce the master RF clock. Pulse-to-pulse jitter characteristic of self-mode-locked laser oscillators represents a direct contribution to the ultimate timing jitter between a high intensity laser focus and electron beam at the interaction point, or a photocathode drive laser in an RF photoinjector. This timing jitter problem has been addressed most seriously in the context of the RF photoinjector, where the electron beam properties are sensitive functions of relative timing jitter. The timing jitter achieved in synchronized photocathode drive laser systems is near, or slightly below one picosecond. The ultimate time of arrival jitter of the beam at the photoinjector exit is typically a bit smaller than the photocathode drive-laser jitter due to velocity compression effects in the first RF cell of the gun. This tendency of the timing of the electron beam arrival at a given spatial point to lock to the RF lock is strongly reinforced by use of magnetic compression.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 790384
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-140198
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATORS
COMPRESSION
COMPTON EFFECT
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
LASERS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
MAGNETIC COMPRESSION
PLASMA GUNS
SYNCHRONIZATION
VELOCITY
WAVELENGTHS