Microbunching Instability due to Bunch Compression
Magnetic bunch compressors are designed to increase the peak current while maintaining the transverse and longitudinal emittances in order to drive a short-wavelength free electron laser (FEL). Recently, several linac-based FEL experiments observe self-developing micro-structures in the longitudinal phase space of electron bunches undergoing strong compression [1-3]. In the mean time, computer simulations of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) effects in bunch compressors illustrate that a CSR-driven microbunching instability may significantly amplify small longitudinal density and energy modulations and hence degrade the beam quality [4]. Various theoretical models have since been developed to describe this instability [5-8]. It is also pointed out that the microbunching instability may be driven strongly by the longitudinal space charge (LSC) field [9,10] and by the linac wakefield [11] in the accelerator, leading to a very large overall gain of a two-stage compression system such as found in the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) [12]. This paper reviews theory and simulations of microbunching instability due to bunch compression, the proposed method to suppress its effects for short-wavelength FELs, and experimental characterizations of beam modulations in linear accelerators. A related topic of interests is microbunching instability in storage rings, which has been reported in the previous ICFA beam dynamics newsletter No. 35 (http://wwwbd. fnal.gov/icfabd/Newsletter35.pdf).
- Research Organization:
- Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 877512
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-11597
- Journal Information:
- ICFA Beam Dynamics Newsletter, Journal Name: ICFA Beam Dynamics Newsletter Vol. 38
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Measurements and Modeling of Coherent Synchrotron Radiation and its Impact on the LCLS Electron Beam
Measurements of Coherent Synchrotron Radiation and its Impact on the LCLS Electron Beam