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For future linear colliders, a nanometer-scale beam size at the interaction point (IP) is one of the most challenging technical aspects. To explore the feasibility of a final focus system with a high chromaticity level, comparable to that of the Compact Linear Collider, the ultralow β^{*} optics has been proposed and tuned at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility 2. In this paper, the recent experimental results are presented, which demonstrate the capability of achieving and stabilizing a vertical average beam size of 60 nm and below at the virtual IP. The observed vertical beam size is about 20 nm above the numerical predictions in the presence of static and dynamic imperfections. We interpret this discrepancy as beam size growth due to multipole fields, beam jitters and wakefield effects, and diagnostic errors.

We consider a semi-infinite open-ended cylindrical waveguide with uniform dielectric filling placed into collinear infinite vacuum waveguide with larger radius. Electromagnetic field produced by a point charge or Gaussian bunch moving along structure’s axis from the dielectric waveguide into the vacuum one is investigated. We utilize the modified residue-calculus technique and obtain rigorous analytical solution of the problem by determining coefficients of mode excitation in each subarea of the structure. The main attention is paid to analysis of penetration of Cherenkov radiation into vacuum regions of the outer waveguide. Numerical simulations in cst Particle Studio are also performed (for long enough bunch exciting the first Cherenkov mode only) and an excellent agreement between analytical and simulated results is shown. The discussed structure can be used for generation of Terahertz radiation by modulated bunches (bunch trains) by means of high-order Cherenkov modes. In this case, due to high frequencies numerical simulations become extremely difficult while the developed analytical technique still remains the efficient approach for calculation of the radiation characteristics.

In circular colliders, as well as in damping rings and synchrotron radiation light sources, beam halo is one of the critical issues limiting the performance as well as potentially causing component damage and activation. It is imperative to clearly understand the mechanisms that lead to halo formation and to test the available theoretical models. Elastic beam-gas scattering can drive particles to large oscillation amplitudes and be a potential source of beam halo. In this paper, numerical estimation and Monte Carlo simulations of this process at the ATF of KEK are presented. Experimental measurements of beam halo in the ATF2 beam line using a diamond sensor detector are also described, which clearly demonstrate the influence of the beam-gas scattering process on the transverse halo distribution.

We investigated a corrugated mm-scale capillary as a compact accelerating structure in the driver-witness acceleration scheme, and suggested a methodology to measure the acceleration of the witness bunch. The accelerating fields produced by the driver bunch and the energy spread of the witness bunch in a corrugated capillary and in a capillary with a constant inner radius were measured and simulated for both on-axis and off-axis beam propagation. Our simulations predicted a change in the accelerating field structure for the corrugated capillary. Also, an approximately twofold increase of the witness bunch energy gain on the first accelerating cycle was expected for both capillaries for the off-axis beam propagation. These results were confirmed in the experiment, and the maximum measured acceleration of 170 keV/m at 20 pC driver beam charge was achieved for off-axis beam propagation. The driver bunch showed an increase in energy spread of up to 11%, depending on the capillary geometry and beam propagation, with a suppression of the longitudinal energy spread in the witness bunch of up to 15%.

The interest in producing ultrashort electron bunches has risen sharply among scientists working on the design of high-gradient wakefield accelerators. One attractive approach generating electron bunches is to illuminate a photocathode with a train of femtosecond laser pulses. In this paper we describe the design and testing of a laser system for an rf gun based on a commercial titanium-sapphire laser technology. The technology allows the production of four femtosecond laser pulses with a continuously variable pulse delay. We also use the designed system to demonstrate the experimental generation of an electron microbunch train obtained by illuminating a cesium-telluride semiconductor photocathode. We use conventional diagnostics to characterize the electron microbunches produced and confirm that it may be possible to control the main parameter of an electron microbunch train.

Investigation of coherent Smith-Purcell radiation (SPR) spectral characteristics was performed both experimentally and by numerical simulation. The measurement of SPR spectral line shapes of different diffraction orders was carried out at the KEK LUCX facility. A pair of room-temperature Schottky barrier diode (SBD) detectors with sensitivity bands of 60–90 GHz and 320–460 GHz was used in the measurements. Reasonable agreement of experimental results and simulations performed with CST Studio Suite justifies the use of different narrow-band SBD detectors to investigate different SPR diffraction orders. It was shown that monochromaticity of the SPR spectral lines increases with diffraction order. The comparison of coherent transition radiation and coherent SPR intensities in sub-THz frequency range showed that the brightnesses of both radiation mechanisms were comparable. A fine tuning feasibility of the SPR spectral lines is discussed.

Optical transition radiation (OTR) has become a commonly used method for 2D beam imaging measurements. In the Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) at KEK, beam sizes smaller than the OTR point spread function have been measured. Simulations of the OTR imaging system have been performed using the ZEMAX software to study the effects of optical errors such as aberrations, diffraction, and misalignments of optical components. This paper presents a comparison of simulations of the OTR point spread function with experimental data obtained at ATF2. It shows how the quantification and control of optical errors impacts on optimizing the resolution of the system. We also show that the OTR point spread function needs to be predicted accurately to optimize any optical system and to predict the error made on measurement.

A laserwire transverse electron beam size measurement system has been developed and operated at the Accelerator Test Facility 2 at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Japan (KEK). Special electron beam optics were developed to create an approximately 1×100 μm (vertical×horizontal) electron beam at the laserwire location, which was profiled using 150 mJ, 71 ps laser pulses with a wavelength of 532 nm. The precise characterization of the laser propagation allows the non-Gaussian laserwire scan profiles caused by the laser divergence to be deconvolved. A minimum vertical electron beam size of 1.07±0.06(stat)±0.05(sys) μm was measured. A vertically focusing quadrupole just before the laserwire was varied while making laserwire measurements and the projected vertical emittance was measured to be 82.56±3.04 pm rad.

The Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) is a scaled demonstrator system for final focus beam lines of linear high energy colliders. This paper describes the high resolution cavity beam position monitor (BPM) system, which is a part of the ATF2 diagnostics. Two types of cavity BPMs are used, C-band operating at 6.423 GHz, and S-band at 2.888 GHz with an increased beam aperture. The cavities, electronics, and digital processing are described. The resolution of the C-band system with attenuators was determined to be approximately 250 nm and 1 μm for the S-band system. Without attenuation the best recorded C-band cavity resolution was 27 nm.

A laser-wire transverse electron beam size measurement system has been constructed and operated at the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) extraction line at KEK. The construction of the system is described in detail along with the environment of the ATF related to the laser wire. A special set of electron beam optics was developed to generate an approximately 1 μm vertical focus at the laser-wire location. The results of our operation at the ATF extraction line are presented, where a minimum rms electron beam size of 4.8±0.3 μm was measured, and smaller electron beam sizes can be measured by developing the method further. The beam size at the laser-wire location was changed using quadrupoles and the resulting electron beam size measured, and vertical emittance extracted.

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 β 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.

ATF2 is a final-focus test beam line which aims to focus the low emittance beam from the ATF damping ring to a vertical size of about 37 nm and to demonstrate nanometer level beam stability. Several advanced beam diagnostics and feedback tools are used. In December 2008, construction and installation were completed and beam commissioning started, supported by an international team of Asian, European, and U.S. scientists. The present status and first results are described.

For the first time the focusing effect in optical transition and diffraction radiation generated by 1.28 GeV electrons in a tilted spherical target has been observed experimentally. A comparison of detected as well as simulated radiation spatial distributions produced by a flat and a spherical target has been made. It is shown that the application of such targets has allowed us to increase the radiation spectral-spatial density at the target focus without applying any additional focusing devices.

Transition radiation (TR) and diffraction radiation (DR) has widely been used for both electron beam diagnostics and generation of intense radiation beams in the millimeter and the submillimeter wavelength range. Recently, it was theoretically predicted that TR and DR properties change either at extremely high energies of electrons or at long radiation wavelengths. This phenomenon was called a prewave zone effect. We have performed the first observation and detailed investigation of the prewave zone effect in optical diffraction radiation at 1.28 GeV electron beam at the KEK-Accelerator Test Facility (KEK-ATF). The beam energy at KEK-ATF is definitely not the highest one achieved in the world. Since we could easily observe the effect, at higher energies it might cause serious problems. We developed and applied a method for prewave zone suppression valid for optical wavelengths. Furthermore, a method for prewave zone suppression applicable for longer radiation wavelengths is discussed.

We represent the first experimental observation of the point spread function (PSF) of optical transition radiation (OTR) performed at KEK-Accelerator Test Facility extraction line. We have demonstrated that the PSF vertical polarization component has a central minimum with a two lobe distribution. However, the distribution width varied significantly with wavelength. We assume that we observed a severe effect from spherical or chromatic aberrations which are not taken into account in any existing theoretical model. We believe that the result of this work will encourage theoreticians to continue developing the theory as it is important for various transition radiation applications. Nonuniform distribution of the OTR PSF creates an opportunity for developing a submicrometer transverse beam size monitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a low emittance and short-bunch electron beam at a high repetition rate realized by a superconducting linac, stimulated excitation of an optical cavity at the terahertz spectrum range is shown. The electron beam passes through small holes in the cavity mirrors without being destroyed. A sharp resonance structure which indicates wideband stimulated emission via coherent diffraction radiation is observed while scanning the round-trip length of the cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel scheme for the focusing of high-energy leptons in future linear colliders was proposed in 2001 [P. Raimondi and A. Seryi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3779 (2001)]. This scheme has many advantageous properties over previously studied focusing schemes, including being significantly shorter for a given energy and having a significantly better energy bandwidth. Experimental results from the ATF2 accelerator at KEK are presented that validate the operating principle of such a scheme by demonstrating the demagnification of a 1.3 GeV electron beam down to below 65 nm in height using an energy-scaled version of the compact focusing optics designed for the ILC collider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]