Perspectives in linear accelerator for FLASH VHEE: Study of a compact C-band system.

PURPOSE: In order to translate the FLASH effect in clinical use and to treat deep tumors, Very High Electron Energy irradiations could represent a valid technique. Here, we address the main issues in the design of a VHEE FLASH machine. We present preliminary results for a compact C-band system aiming to reach a high accelerating gradient and high current necessary to deliver a Ultra High Dose Rate with a beam pulse duration of 3µs. METHODS: The proposed system is composed by low energy high current injector linac followed by a high acceleration gradient structure able to reach 60-160 MeV energy range. To obtain the maximum energy, an energy pulse compressor options is considered. CST code was used to define the specifications RF parameters of the linac. To optimize the accelerated current and therefore the delivered dose, beam dynamics simulations was performed using TSTEP and ASTRA codes. RESULTS: The VHEE parameters Linac suitable to satisfy FLASH criteria were simulated. Preliminary results allow to obtain a maximum energy of 160 MeV, with a peak current of 200 mA, which corresponds to a charge of 600 nC. CONCLUSIONS: A promising preliminary design of VHEE linac for FLASH RT has been performed. Supplementary studies are on going to complete the characterization of the machine and to manufacture and test the RF prototypes.

Novel schemes for the optimization of the SPARC narrow band THz source.

A pulsed, tunable, narrow band radiation source with frequency in the THz region can be obtained collecting the coherent transition radiation produced by a train of ultra-short electron bunches having picosecond scale inter-distance. In this paper, we review the techniques feasible at the SPARC_LAB test facility to produce and manipulate the requested train of electron bunches and we examine the dynamics of their acceleration and compression. In addition, we show how the performances of the train compression and the radiation intensity and bandwidth can be significantly improved through the insertion of a fourth order harmonic cavity, working in the X-band and acting as a longitudinal phase space linearizer.

Self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser with an energy-chirped electron beam and undulator tapering.

We report the first experimental implementation of a method based on simultaneous use of an energy chirp in the electron beam and a tapered undulator, for the generation of ultrashort pulses in a self-amplified spontaneous emission mode free-electron laser (SASE FEL). The experiment, performed at the SPARC FEL test facility, demonstrates the possibility of compensating the nominally detrimental effect of the chirp by a proper taper of the undulator gaps. An increase of more than 1 order of magnitude in the pulse energy is observed in comparison to the untapered case, accompanied by FEL spectra where the typical SASE spiking is suppressed.

Test of "crab-waist" collisions at the DAPhiNE Phi factory.

The electron-positron collider DAPhiNE, the Italian Phi factory, has been recently upgraded in order to implement an innovative collision scheme based on large crossing angle, small beam sizes at the crossing point, and compensation of beam-beam interaction by means of sextupole pairs creating a "crab-waist" configuration in the interaction region. Experimental tests of the novel scheme exhibited an increase by a factor of 3 in the peak luminosity of the collider with respect to the performances reached before the upgrade. In this Letter we present the new collision scheme, discuss its advantages, describe the hardware modifications realized for the upgrade, and report the results of the experimental tests carried out during commissioning of the machine in the new configuration and standard operation for the users.

Experimental demonstration of emittance compensation with velocity bunching.

In this Letter we report the first experiments aimed at the simultaneous demonstration of the emittance compensation process and velocity bunching in a high brightness electron source, the SPARC photoinjector in INFN-LNF. While a maximum compression ratio up to a factor 14 has been observed, in a particular case of interest a compression factor of 3, yielding a slice current of 120 A with less than 2 microm slice emittance, has been measured. This technique may be crucial in achieving high brightness beams in photoinjectors aiming at optimized performance of short wavelength single-pass free electron lasers or other advanced applications in laser-plasma accelerators.

Direct measurement of the double emittance minimum in the beam dynamics of the sparc high-brightness photoinjector.

In this Letter we report the first experimental observation of the double emittance minimum effect in the beam dynamics of high-brightness electron beam generation by photoinjectors; this effect, as predicted by the theory, is crucial in achieving minimum emittance in photoinjectors aiming at producing electron beams for short wavelength single-pass free electron lasers. The experiment described in this Letter was performed at the SPARC photoinjector site, during the first stage of commissioning of the SPARC project. The experiment was made possible by a newly conceived device, called an emittance meter, which allows a detailed and unprecedented study of the emittance compensation process as the beam propagates along the beam pipe.

Modeling comparative mapping using objects and associations.

Spatial information on genome organization is essential for both gene prediction and annotation among species and a better understanding of genomes functioning and evolution. We propose in this article an object-association model to formalize comparative genomic mapping. This model is being implemented in the GeMCore knowledge base, for which some original capabilities are described. GeMCore associated to the GeMME graphical interface for molecular evolution was used to spatially characterize the minor shift phenomenon between human and mouse.