April 1, 2016
The article presenting AREAL project development in the fields of new acceleration methods and radiation sources is published online in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A (2016): V. M. Tsakanov et al, “AREAL Test Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Radiation Source Concepts”.
The paper is now available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.03.062
In the last decades the development of advanced accelerator and radiation source concepts has been in the highlight of accelerator physics researches. The AREAL linear accelerator project is aimed for the generation and acceleration of ultrashort electron pulses with small emittance. After the successful operation of 5 MeV RF photoinjector, the facility energy upgrade up to 20-50 MeV to be delivered to ALPHA (Amplified Light Pulse for High-end Applications) and BETA (Booster for Emerging Technology Accelerators) experimental stations is foreseen. ALPHA station is designated for the creation of a free electron laser (FEL) and BETA station – as a test stand for advanced particle acceleration schemes and tailored beam formation for coherent radiation.
In this paper, the AREAL project main design considerations and the anticipated experimental program in the fields of particle radiation and accelerator technology are presented. The design specificiations of the RF photoinjector along with commissioning results are given. The main outlooks for the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) FEL beam line based on planar and helical undulators at ALPHA station are discussed. The experimental program at BETA station is introduced, which implies the study of high frequency accelerating structures, wakefield induced beam energy modulation schemes and high transformer ratio wakefield accelerator concepts.