Optical Phase Space Mapping of Relativistic Charged Particle Beams

Beam diagnostics capable of measuring the transverse and longitudinal phase space are needed for the diagnosis of the new generation of accelerators being developed for high energy physics and advanced light sources. These devices all employ highly relativistic, intense, high energy accelerators. Traditional devices used to map the beam phase space such as ¿pepper pot¿ collimators cannot be used at high energies because high energy particles permeate and scatter from the thick material used in these collimators. This project will develop an all optical technique, which replaces and overcomes the limitations of older phase space mapping methods. The method employs optical transition radiation produced from thin foils to provide a complete phase space map with minimal perturbation to the beam. A recent experiment showed that the basic technique works and can be used to measure beam divergence and trajectory angle locally, i.e., within the beam distribution. Phase I will produce a complete phase space map of the beam, and Phase II will develop methods to provide a time-resolved phase space map of the beam