Eric Wisniewski

Observation of Field-Emission Dependence on Stored Energy

Field emission from a solid metal surface has been continuously studied for a century over macroscopic to atomic scales. It is general knowledge that, other than the surface properties, the emitted current is governed solely by the applied electric field. A pin cathode has been used to study the dependence of field emission on stored energy in an L-band rf gun. The stored energy was changed by adjusting the axial position (distance between the cathode base and the gun back surface) of the cathode while the applied electric field on the cathode tip is kept constant. A very strong correlation of the field-emission current with the stored energy has been observed. While eliminating all possible interfering sources, an enhancement of the current by a factor of 5 was obtained as the stored energy was increased by a factor of 3. It implies that under certain circumstances a localized field emission may be significantly altered by the global parameters in a system.

Kelvin probe studies of cesium telluride photocathode for AWA photoinjector

Abstract Cesium telluride is an important photocathode as an electron source for particle accelerators. It has a relatively high quantum efficiency ( > 1%), is sufficiently robust in a photoinjector, and has a long lifetime. This photocathode is grown in-house for a new Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) beamline to produce high charge per bunch ( ≈ 50 nC ) in a long bunch train. Here, we present a study of the work function of cesium telluride photocathode using the Kelvin probe technique. The study includes an investigation of the correlation between the quantum efficiency and the work function, the effect of photocathode aging, the effect of UV exposure on the work function, and the evolution of the work function during and after photocathode rejuvenation via heating.

Spatial control of photoemitted electron beams using a microlens-array transverse-shaping technique

A transversely inhomogeneous laser distribution on the photocathode surface generally produces electron beams with degraded beam quality. In this paper, we explore the use of microlens arrays to dramatically improve the transverse uniformity of an ultraviolet drive-laser pulse used in a photoinjector. We also demonstrate a capability of microlens arrays to generate transversely modulated electron beams and present an application of such a feature to diagnose the properties of a magnetized beam.

Precision Control of the Electron Longitudinal Bunch Shape Using an Emittance-Exchange Beam Line

We report on the experimental generation of relativistic electron bunches with a tunable longitudinal bunch shape. A longitudinal bunch-shaping (LBS) beam line, consisting of a transverse mask followed by a transverse-to-longitudinal emittance exchange (EEX) beam line, is used to tailor the longitudinal bunch shape (or current profile) of the electron bunch. The mask shapes the bunchs horizontal profile, and the EEX beam line converts it to a corresponding longitudinal profile. The Argonne wakefield accelerator rf photoinjector delivers electron bunches into a LBS beam line to generate a variety of longitudinal bunch shapes. The quality of the longitudinal bunch shape is limited by various perturbations in the exchange process. We develop a simple method, based on the incident slope of the bunch, to significantly suppress the perturbations.

Field emission study using an L-band photocathode gun

Field emission is strongly coupled to the breakdown problem. A series of experiments is being carried out at Argonne Wakefield Accelerator Facility (AWA) using an L-band photocathode gun. Cathodes with different shapes have been tested and a dark current imaging system has been set up. Initial experiment results are presented.

In Situ observation of dark current emission in a high gradient rf photocathode gun

Undesirable electron field emission (also known as dark current) in high gradient rf photocathode guns deteriorates the quality of the photoemission current and limits the operational gradient. To improve the understanding of dark current emission, a high-resolution (∼100  μm) dark current imaging experiment has been performed in an L-band photocathode gun operating at ∼100  MV/m of surface gradient. Scattered strong emission areas with high current have been observed on the cathode. The field enhancement factor β of selected regions on the cathode has been measured. The postexaminations with scanning electron microscopy and white light interferometry reveal the origins of ∼75% strong emission areas overlap with the spots where rf breakdown has occurred.

Microlens Array Laser Transverse Shaping Technique for Photoemission Electron Source

A common issue encountered in photoemission electron sources used in electron accelerators is distortion of the laser spot due to non ideal conditions at all stages of the amplification. Such a laser spot at the cathode may produce asymmetric charged beams that will result in degradation of the beam quality due to space charge at early stages of acceleration and fail to optimally utilize the cathode surface. In this note we study the possibility of using microlens arrays to dramatically improve the transverse uniformity of the drive laser pulse on UV photocathodes at both Fermilab Accelerator Science \& Technology (FAST) facility and Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA). In particular, we discuss the experimental characterization of the homogeneity and periodic patterned formation at the photocathode. Finally, we compare the experimental results with the paraxial analysis, ray tracing and wavefront propagation software.