Versatile, high brightness, cryogenic photoinjector electron source

TL;DR

This paper explores high-gradient cryogenic RF photoinjectors with optimized cavity shapes and harmonic content, enabling ultra-bright, low-emittance electron beams for advanced FELs and linear colliders.

Contribution

It introduces a novel high-gradient cryogenic RF photoinjector design with optimized cavity shape and harmonic content, enhancing beam brightness and emittance performance.

Findings

Achieved high six-dimensional brightness suitable for FELs.

Produced low-emittance, high-current electron beams for linear colliders.

Demonstrated effective management of power and dark current challenges.

Abstract

Since the introduction of the radio-frequency (rf) photoinjector electron source over thirty years ago, peak performance demands have dictated the use of high accelerating electric fields. With recent strong advances in obtainable field values, attendant increases in beam brightness are expected to be dramatic. In this article, we examine the implementation of very high gradient acceleration in a high frequency, cryogenic rf photoinjector. We discuss in detail the effects of introducing, through an optimized rf cavity shape, rich spatial harmonic content in the accelerating modes in this device. Higher spatial harmonics give useful, enhanced linear focusing effects, as well as potentially deleterious nonlinear transverse forces. They also serve to strongly increase the ratio of average accelerating field to peak surface field, thus aiding in managing power and dark current-related challenges. We investigate two scenarios which are aimed at unique exploitation of the capabilities of this source. First, we investigate the obtaining of extremely high six-dimensional brightness for advanced free-electron laser applications. We also examine the use of a magnetized photocathode in the device for producing unprecedented low asymmetric emittance, high-current electron beams that reach linear collider-compatible performance. As both of the scenarios demand an advanced, compact solenoid design, we describe a novel cryogenic solenoid system. With the high field rf and magnetostatic structures introduced, we analyze the collective beam dynamics in these systems through theory and multi-particle simulations, including a particular emphasis on granularity effects associated with microscopic Coulomb interactions.