A high-charge and short-pulse RF photocathode gun for wake-field acceleration

In this paper we present a design report on 1-1/2 cell, L-Band RF photocathode gun which is capable of generating and accelerating electron beams with peak currents > 10 kA. We address several critical issues of high-current RF photoinjectors such as longitudinal space charge effect, and transverse emittance growth. Unlike conventional short electron pulse generation, this design does not require magnetic pulse compression. Based on numerical simulations using SUPERFISH and PARMELA, this design will produce 100 nC beam at 18 MeV with r.m.s. bunch length 1.25 mm and normalized transverse emittance 108 mm mrad. Applications of this source beam for wake-field acceleration are also discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.