| This work details the design and operation of a photo-injected electron source based on pulsed power technology. The pulsed power source is capable of producing a voltage pulse of 1 MV amplitude with a 1 ns pulse duration. The source is synchronizable to a cathode laser via laser triggering, with a 1 σ jitter of 0.5 ns. The parallel plate geometry of the electrodes has been shown to be capable of maintaining gradients in excess of 1 GV/m. This allows electrons to be accelerated to 1 MeV in 1 mm of travel. Simulations of beam properties arising from such a device predict significant improvements in beam quality and maximum extractable current density compared to standard photo-injected RF guns.; The results of these simulations are presented, along with measurements of dark current and laser induced photo-current arising from this pulsed gun. Particular attention is paid to the physics of the photoemission process in the presence of a strong electric field. The effect of laser cleaning of the cathode surface to improve the quantum efficiency is investigated as well. |
