With the increasing development of laser electron accelerators, electron energies beyond a GeV have been reached and higher values are expected in the near future. A conventional beam dump based on ionization or radiation loss mechanisms is cumbersome and costly, not to mention the radiological hazards. We revisit the stopping power theory of high-energy charged particles in matter and discuss the associated problem of beam dumping from the point of view of collective deceleration. The collective stopping length in an ionized gas can be several orders of magnitude shorter than that described by the Bethe-Bloch formulas and associated with multiple electromagnetic cascades in solids. At the same time, the tenuous density of the gas makes the radioactivation negligible. Such a compact beam dump without radioactivation works well for short and dense bunches, as they are typically generated from a laser wakefield accelerator. In addition, the nonuniform transverse wakefield can induce microbunching of the electron bunch by betatron oscillation. The microstructure could serve as a prebunched source for coherent radiation or feeding a free electron laser.

Physics considerations for a next-generation linear collider based on laser-plasma accelerators are discussed. The ultrahigh accelerating gradient of a laser-plasma accelerator and short laser coupling distance between accelerator stages allows for a compact linac. Two regimes of laser-plasma acceleration are discussed. The highly nonlinear regime has the advantages of higher accelerating fields and uniform focusing forces, whereas the quasilinear regime has the advantage of symmetric accelerating properties for electrons and positrons. Scaling of various accelerator and collider parameters with respect to plasma density and laser wavelength are derived. Reduction of beamstrahlung effects implies the use of ultrashort bunches of moderate charge. The total linac length scales inversely with the square root of the plasma density, whereas the total power scales proportional to the square root of the density. A 1 TeV center-of-mass collider based on stages using a plasma density of ${10}^{17}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ requires tens of $J$ of laser energy per stage (using $1\mu \mathrm{m}$ wavelength lasers) with tens of kHz repetition rate. Coulomb scattering and synchrotron radiation are examined and found not to significantly degrade beam quality. A photon collider based on laser-plasma accelerated beams is also considered. The requirements for the scattering laser energy are comparable to those of a single laser-plasma accelerator stage.

Input couplers for radio-frequency accelerating cavities with heavy beam loading undergo many multipactoring zones due to the wide range of input powers. Furthermore, regular coaxial lines have more multipactoring than rectangular waveguides because of more uniformity of the electromagnetic field. Grooving conductor surfaces of coaxial lines is expected to be a promising method for suppressing multipactoring under any conditions with heavy beam loading. In this paper, we present a method for designing practical fine grooves on conductor surfaces of coaxial lines to suppress multipactoring, based on multipactoring zone maps, and demonstrate the suppressive power both in high-power tests and accelerator operations.

Collimators and transitions in accelerator vacuum chambers often include small-angle tapering to lower the wakefields generated by the beam. While the low-frequency impedance is well described by Yokoya’s formula (for axisymmetric geometry), much less is known about the behavior of the impedance in the high-frequency limit. In this paper we develop an analytical approach to the high-frequency regime for round collimators and tapers. Our analytical results are compared with computer simulations using the code ECHO.

A binary ionic mixture (BIM) in dense and hot plasmas of specific concern for inertial confinement fusion and white dwarf crust is considered as a target for incoming light ions with a velocity smaller than the thermal electron one. The given target stopping power, mostly BIM monitored, is specifically studied in terms of charge and mass asymmetry in its ionic component. The classical plasma target is worked out within a dielectric framework, and scanned with respect to density, temperature, and BIM composition.

We analyze the narrowband terahertz emission process occurring from electron bunches passing in a bending magnet, after a laser-induced sinusoidal modulation has been performed. In particular, we focus on experimental tunability curves, and power scalings with current and laser power. Theoretically, we simplify the problem formulation using the slowly varying envelope approximation. At low powers, the scaling with laser power appears to be quadratic, and analytical expressions for the tuning curves are obtained. Emission at first passage in the bending magnet, and after one full turn in the storage ring, are considered both experimentally and theoretically. The experiments are performed on the UVSOR-II storage ring.

The field distribution in a coaxial electrostatic wiggler corresponds to the special solution of a Laplace equation in a cylindrical coordinate system with a boundary value problem of sinusoidal ripples. This paper is devoted to the physical and mathematical treatment for an analytical solution of the field distribution in the coaxial electrostatic wiggler. The explicit expression of the solution indicates that the field distribution in the coaxial electrostatic wiggler varies according to a periodic function in the longitudinal direction, and is related to the first and second kinds of modified Bessel functions in the radial direction, respectively. Comparison shows excellent agreement between the analytical formula and the computer simulation technology (CST) results. The physical application of the considered system and its analytical solution are discussed.

We present measurements and numerical simulations of the laser beam transverse profile of the CLIO infrared free-electron laser (FEL). This FEL uses a hole coupling extraction system, which introduces important perturbation on the intracavity optical mode. We show that this intracavity mode tends to avoid the extraction hole and that the output power optimization leads to an off-axis laser alignment inside the FEL cavity.

Recently, it was demonstrated that significant reductions in field emission on Nb surfaces could be achieved by means of a new surface treatment technique called gas cluster ion beam (GCIB). Further study as shown in this paper revealed that GCIB treatments could modify surface irregularities and remove surface asperities leading to a smoother surface finish as demonstrated through measurements using a 3D profilometer, an atomic force microscope, and a scanning electron microscope. These experimental observations were supported by computer simulation via atomistic molecular dynamics and a phenomenological surface dynamics. Measurements employing a secondary ion mass spectrometry found that GCIB could also alter Nb surface oxide layer structure. Possible implications of the experimental results on the performance of Nb superconducting radio frequency cavities treated by GCIB will be discussed. First experimental results on Nb single cell superconducting radio frequency cavities treated by GCIB will be reported.

We apply the pepper-pot method to measure in a single shot the transverse emittance of quasimonoenergetic electrons with 20 MeV energy produced by laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). The large divergence of LWFA beams ($>1\mathrm{mrad}$ typical) compared to conventional rf accelerator beams places additional restrictions on the pepper-pot design. The LWFA beam is found to have a normalized rms transverse emittance of ${ϵ}_N=2.3\pi \mathrm{mm}\mathrm{mrad}$, with a shot-to-shot fluctuation of 17%. This emittance is comparable to state-of-the-art injectors for conventional linear accelerators. In addition, we examine the beam divergence of LWFA electrons. Simulations and theory indicate that an adiabatic reduction in the beam divergence occurs when the transition region of the downstream plasma density profile is comparable to the betatron period of the electron beam in the plasma accelerator.

The ATF2 project is the final focus system prototype for the ILC and CLIC linear collider projects, with a purpose to reach a 37 nm vertical beam size at the interaction point using compact optics based on a novel scheme of local chromaticity correction. Construction of all components and installation were completed at the end of 2008. An initial commissioning phase followed in 2009, using larger than nominal $\beta$ functions at the interaction point, corresponding to reduced demagnification factors in comparison to the design, to limit effects from higher-order optical aberrations and hence simplify beam tuning procedures while key instrumentation was being tested and calibrated. In this paper, first measurements of dispersion and Twiss parameters are presented based on scanning the beam during this period with a set of tungsten wires located just behind the interaction point, using two complementary analysis methods.

Thermal design studies of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities involve two thermal parameters, namely the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of Nb at low temperatures and the heat transfer coefficient at the Nb-He II interface, commonly known as the Kapitza conductance. During the fabrication process of the SRF cavities, Nb sheet is plastically deformed through a deep drawing process to obtain the desired shape. The effect of plastic deformation on low temperature thermal conductivity as well as Kapitza conductance has been studied experimentally. Strain induced during the plastic deformation process reduces the thermal conductivity in its phonon transmission regime (disappearance of phonon peak) by 80%, which may explain the performance limitations of the defect-free SRF cavities during their high field operations. Low temperature annealing of the deformed Nb sample could not recover the phonon peak. However, moderate temperature annealing during the titanification process recovered the phonon peak in the thermal conductivity curve. Kapitza conductance measurements for the Nb-He II interface for various surface topologies have also been carried out before and after the annealing. These measurements reveal consistently increased Kapitza conductance after the annealing process was carried out in the two temperature regimes.

Experimental and simulation results of an electron gun test facility, based on pulsed diode acceleration followed by a two-cell rf cavity at 1.5 GHz, are presented here. The main features of this diode-rf combination are: a high peak gradient in the diode (up to $100\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$) obtained without breakdown conditioning, a cathode shape providing an electrostatic focusing, and an in-vacuum pulsed solenoid to focus the electron beam between the diode and the rf cavity. Although the test stand was initially developed for testing field emitter arrays cathodes, it became also interesting to explore the limits of this electron gun with metallic photocathodes illuminated by laser pulses. The ultimate goal of this test facility is to fulfill the requirements of the SwissFEL project of Paul Scherrer Institute [B. D. Patterson et al., New J. Phys. 12, 035012 (2010)]; a projected normalized emittance below $0.4\mu \mathrm{m}$ for a charge of 200 pC and a bunch length of less than 10 ps (rms). A normalized projected emittance of $0.23\mu \mathrm{m}$ with 13 pC has been measured at 5 MeV using a Gaussian laser longitudinal intensity distribution on the photocathode. Good agreements with simulations have been obtained for different electron bunch charge and diode geometries. Emittance measurements at a bunch charge below 1 pC were performed for different laser spot sizes in agreement with intrinsic emittance theory [e.g. $0.54\mu \mathrm{m}/\mathrm{mm}$ of laser spot size (rms) for Cu at 274 nm]. Finally, a projected emittance of $1.25+/-0.2\mu \mathrm{m}$ was measured with 200 pC and $100\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ diode gradient.

A 3D fully electromagnetic (EM) model of the principal pulsed-power components of a high-current linear transformer driver (LTD) has been developed. LTD systems are a relatively new modular and compact pulsed-power technology based on high-energy density capacitors and low-inductance switches located within a linear-induction cavity. We model 1-MA, 100-kV, 100-ns rise-time LTD cavities [A. A. Kim et al., Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12, 050402 (2009)] which can be used to drive $z$-pinch and material dynamics experiments. The model simulates the generation and propagation of electromagnetic power from individual capacitors and triggered gas switches to a radially symmetric output line. Multiple cavities, combined to provide voltage addition, drive a water-filled coaxial transmission line. A 3D fully EM model of a single 1-MA 100-kV LTD cavity driving a simple resistive load is presented and compared to electrical measurements. A new model of the current loss through the ferromagnetic cores is developed for use both in circuit representations of an LTD cavity and in the 3D EM simulations. Good agreement between the measured core current, a simple circuit model, and the 3D simulation model is obtained. A 3D EM model of an idealized ten-cavity LTD accelerator is also developed. The model results demonstrate efficient voltage addition when driving a matched impedance load, in good agreement with an idealized circuit model.

Coherent diffractive imaging of single particles using the single-shot “diffract and destroy” approach with an x-ray free electron laser (FEL) was recently demonstrated. A high-resolution low-noise coherent diffraction pattern, representative of the object before it turns into a plasma and explodes, results from the interaction of the FEL with the particle. Iterative phase retrieval algorithms are used to reconstruct two-dimensional projection images of the object from the recorded intensities alone. Here we describe the first single-shot diffraction data set that mimics the data proposed for obtaining 3D structure from identical particles. Ellipsoidal iron oxide nanoparticles ($250\mathrm{nm}\times 50\mathrm{nm}$) were aerosolized and injected through an aerodynamic lens stack into a soft x-ray FEL. Particle orientation was not controlled with this injection method. We observed that, at the instant the x-ray pulse interacts with the particle, a snapshot of the particle’s orientation is encoded in the diffraction pattern. The results give credence to one of the technical concepts of imaging individual nanometer and subnanometer-sized objects such as single molecules or larger clusters of molecules using hard x-ray FELs and will be used to help develop robust algorithms for determining particle orientations and 3D structure.

The charge-state distributions and equilibrium charge states of uranium (${}^{238}\mathrm{U}$) and xenon (${}^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$) ions at $11\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$ were determined using a gas charge stripper. A differential pumping system facilitated the increase of the nitrogen gas thickness up to $1.3\mathrm{mg}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$, which is sufficient for the most probable charge state to attain equilibrium. The charge states of ${}^{238}\mathrm{U}$ attain equilibrium at 56.0, 56.6, and 55.7 in ${\mathrm{N}}_2$, Ar, and ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ media with thicknesses of 125, 79, and $126\mu \mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$, respectively, while those of ${}^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$ attain equilibrium at 40.5, 40.1, and 40.3 in ${\mathrm{N}}_2$, Ar, and ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ media with thicknesses of 163, 95, and $139\mu \mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$, respectively. The equilibrium charge states of ${}^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$ are acceptable for acceleration by the subsequent cyclotron. The measured data of ${}^{238}\mathrm{U}$ were used to devise an empirical formula for the prediction of the equilibrium charge state in gaseous media over the energy region of $0.01–60\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$. The equilibrium charge state of ${}^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$ as predicted by the devised formula is in good agreement with the data.

Low emittance tuning at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) test accelerator depends on precision measurement of vertical dispersion and transverse coupling. The CESR beam position monitors (BPMs) consist of four button electrodes, instrumented with electronics that allow acquisition of turn-by-turn data. The response to the beam will vary among the four electrodes due to differences in electronic gain and/or misalignment. This variation in the response of the BPM electrodes will couple real horizontal offset to apparent vertical position, and introduce spurious measurements of coupling and vertical dispersion. To alleviate this systematic effect, a beam based technique to measure the relative response of the four electrodes has been developed. With typical CESR parameters, simulations show that turn-by-turn BPM data can be used to determine electrode gains to within $\sim 0.1\%$.

We present numerous observations of the diffusive motion of the ground and tunnels for scientific instruments and show that if systematic movements are excluded the remaining uncorrelated component of the motion obeys a characteristic fractal law with the displacement variance $d{Y}^2$ scaling with time and spatial intervals $T$ and $L$ as $d{Y}^2\propto T^{\alpha }{L}^{\gamma }$ with both exponents close to 1 ($\alpha \approx \gamma \approx 1$). We briefly describe experimental methods of the mesoscopic and microscopic ground motion detection used in measurements at physics research facilities sensitive to ground motion, particularly large high energy elementary particle accelerators. A simple mathematical model of the fractal motion demonstrating the observed scaling law is also presented and discussed. This paper is a subsequent full detail publication to [V. Shiltsev, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 238501 (2010)].

We have studied the time evolution of the heavy-ion luminosity and bunch intensities in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL, and in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. First, we present measurements from a large number of RHIC stores (from run-7), colliding $100\mathrm{GeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$ ${}^{197}\mathrm{Au}^{79+}$ beams without stochastic cooling. These are compared with two different calculation methods. The first is a simulation based on multiparticle tracking taking into account collisions, intrabeam scattering, radiation damping, and synchrotron and betatron motion. In the second, faster, method, a system of ordinary differential equations with terms describing the corresponding effects on emittances and bunch populations is solved numerically. Results of the tracking method agree very well with the RHIC data. With the faster method, significant discrepancies are found since the losses of particles diffusing out of the rf bucket due to intrabeam scattering are not modeled accurately enough. Finally, we use both methods to make predictions of the time evolution of the future ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}^{82+}$ beams in the LHC at injection and collision energy. For this machine, the two methods agree well.

We demonstrate a laser wakefield accelerator with a novel electron injection scheme resulting in enhanced stability, reproducibility, and ease of use. In order to inject electrons into the accelerating phase of the plasma wave, a sharp downward density transition is employed. Prior to ionization by the laser pulse this transition is formed by a shock front induced by a knife edge inserted into a supersonic gas jet. With laser pulses of 8 fs duration and with only 65 mJ energy on target, the accelerator produces a monoenergetic electron beam with tunable energy between 15 and 25 MeV and on average 3.3 pC charge per electron bunch. The shock-front injector is a simple and powerful new tool to enhance the reproducibility of laser-driven electron accelerators, is easily adapted to different laser parameters, and should therefore allow scaling to the energy range of several hundred MeV.