A Plane Wave Transformer Photoelectron Accelerator

40833 November 13, 1996 Duly Research, Inc. It is desirable to relax manufacturing tolerances and reduce cost for linear accelerator structures, especially for repetitive production of accelerating sections as in a linear collider, or for mass production of commercial accelerators. This project will develop a photoelectron linear accelerator system based on a novel plane-wave transformer (PWT) accelerating structure which allows tolerant dimensions and is easy and inexpensive to build. The proposed system integrates a photoinjector (an RF gun with a photocathode) and a PWT linac, and is compact and capable of producing a high quality beam, at an energy large enough (20 MeV) to be useful for particle beam physics research and commercial applications. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of a compact photoinjector linac, having a gradient of 100 MV/m and producing a 5-picosecond long bunched electron beam with a peak current of 150-200 A and a normalized emittance of less than 1 mm-mrad. Phase I will result in a detailed design of a prototype system. Phase II will fabricate and test the system. Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: A high-current, low-emittance, PWT photoinjector linac would be an electron injector for an ultra-high gradient plasma beatwave accelerator. It can also be an injector to a free electron laser, or to an ultrashort pulse length, Compton backscattered x-rays source. These and other potential applications should benefit the high energy physics research community, and should also provide commercial opportunities in chemistry, biology and medicine.