Ramped bunch profile shaping using beam self-wakefields

Collinear wakefield accelerator approaches are limited to transformer ratios of less than two for symmetric drive bunch profiles. Exceeding this limitation is necessary to establish dielectric or plasma wakefield accelerator research as a viable technology for future, compact, high-gradient accelerators. Novel methods are needed to generate asymmetric shaped drive beams, which are ideal for enhanced transformer ratios in wakefield accelerators. RadiaBeam Technologies proposes to develop a longitudinal bunch shaper that is capable of generating nearly idealized triangular profiles using the beam self-wakefields in a dielectric structure followed by a compact chicane. The entire layout can occupy a negligible footprint, and passively and reliably create nearly ideal bunch distributions. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The benefits of development of dielectric wakefield accelerator structures include the use of shaped bunches to excite and extract energy from the structure, and the ability to scale down to smaller dimensions to access higher frequencies. The dielectric wakefield accelerator also provides high-added value in afterburner applications to existing facilities, allowing an increase in beam energy at negligible added footprint. In addition, the R & amp;D in fabrication has implications in the development of structures for laser acceleration and high frequency components for communications. Finally, these structures can serve as robust sources of terahertz radiation, with high peak power, and narrow bandwidth for material spectroscopy and pump-probe experiments.