System Integration of SwissFEL Beam Loss Monitors

Abstract Scintillator-based Beam Loss Monitors will be used at SwissFEL for monitoring the losses, for optimizing beam conditioning, beam measurements with the wire-scanner and Undulator protection. The optical signals from the scintillators will be detected by PMTs which are located outside the accelerator tunnel. The PMT control and signal conditioning is done via a front-end based on the PSI Analogue Carrier board (PAC). The PAC board allows for amplification/attenuation, offsetting and singleended to differential conversion of the analog signal, while the Generic PSI Carrier (GPAC) board provides digitization and FPGA-based post-processing, along with bridging the communication to EPICs controls. A fast algorithm was developed to process the signals and trigger the machine protection system (MPS) at 100Hz

Design and experimental tests of free electron laser wire scanners

SwissFEL is a x-rays free electron laser (FEL) driven by a 5.8 GeV linac under construction at Paul Scherrer Institut. In SwissFEL, wire scanners (WSCs) will be complementary to view-screens for emittance measurements and routinely used to monitor the transverse profile of the electron beam during FEL operations. The SwissFEL WSC is composed of an in-vacuum beam-probe—motorized by a stepper motor—and an out-vacuum pick-up of the wire signal. The mechanical stability of the WSC in-vacuum hardware has been characterized on a test bench. In particular, the motor induced vibrations of the wire have been measured and mapped for different motor speeds. Electron-beam tests of the entire WSC setup together with different wire materials have been carried out at the 250 MeV SwissFEL Injector Test Facility (SITF, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH) and at FERMI (Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy). In particular, a comparative study of the relative measurement accuracy and the radiation-dose release of Al(99)∶Si(1) and tungsten (W) wires has been carried out. On the basis of the outcome of the bench and electron-beam tests, the SwissFEL WSC can be qualified as a high resolution and machine-saving diagnostic tool in consideration of the mechanical stability of the scanning wire at the micrometer level and the choice of the wire material ensuring a drastic reduction of the radiation-dose release with respect to conventional metallic wires. The main aspects of the design, laboratory characterization and electron beam tests of the SwissFEL WSCs are presented

Experimental set-up and procedures for the investigation of XUV free electron laser interactions with solids

In this article, we describe the experimental station and procedures for investigating the interaction of short-wavelength free-electron lasers (FELs) pulses with solids. With the advent of these sources, a unique combination of radiation properties (including wavelength range from tens of nanometers down to sub-Angstroms, femtosecond pulse duration, and high pulse energy reaching milli-Joules level) creates new research possibilities for the systematic studies of radiation-induced structural changes in solids. However, the properties of the intense FEL radiation generate, apart from the new experimental opportunities, extreme demands on the experimental set-up (mostly in terms of radiation hardness of detectors and their saturation levels). Thus, radiation-induced phase transitions in solids, beyond the fundamental scientific interest, are of importance for the design of FEL beamlines and instruments which interact with the direct beam. In this report, we focus on the instrumentation and experimental techniques used in the recent studies performed at the FLASH facility in Hamburg

Investigating the interaction of x-ray free electron laser radiation with grating structure

The interaction of free electron laser pulses with grating structure is investigated using 4.6 +/- 0.1 nm radiation at the FLASH facility in Hamburg. For fluences above 63.7 +/- 8.7 mJ/cm(2), the interaction triggers a damage process starting at the edge of the grating structure as evidenced by optical and atomic force microscopy. Simulations based on solution of the Helmholtz equation demonstrate an enhancement of the electric field intensity distribution at the edge of the grating structure. A procedure is finally deduced to evaluate damage threshold. (C) 2012 Optical Society of Americ

Investigating the interaction of x-ray free electron laser radiation with grating structure

The interaction of free electron laser pulses with grating structure is investigated using 4.6 +/- 0.1 nm radiation at the FLASH facility in Hamburg. For fluences above 63.7 +/- 8.7 mJ/cm(2), the interaction triggers a damage process starting at the edge of the grating structure as evidenced by optical and atomic force microscopy. Simulations based on solution of the Helmholtz equation demonstrate an enhancement of the electric field intensity distribution at the edge of the grating structure. A procedure is finally deduced to evaluate damage threshold. (C) 2012 Optical Society of Americ

Photon energy dependence of graphitization threshold for diamond irradiated with intense XUV FEL pulse

We studied experimentally and theoretically the structural transition of diamond under an irradiation with an intense femtosecond extreme ultraviolet laser (XUV) pulse of 24–275 eV photon energy provided by free-electron lasers. Experimental results obtained show that the irradiated diamond undergoes a solid-to-solid phase transition to graphite, and not to an amorphous state. Our theoretical findings suggest that the nature of this transition is nonthermal, stimulated by a change of the interatomic potential triggered by the excitation of valence electrons. Ultrashort laser pulse duration enables to identify the subsequent steps of this process: electron excitation, band gap collapse, and the following atomic motion. A good agreement between the experimentally measured and theoretically calculated damage thresholds for the XUV range supports our conclusions

Photon energy dependence of graphitization threshold for diamond irradiated with intense XUV FEL pulse

We studied experimentally and theoretically the structural transition of diamond under an irradiation with an intense femtosecond extreme ultraviolet laser (XUV) pulse of 24–275 eV photon energy provided by free-electron lasers. Experimental results obtained show that the irradiated diamond undergoes a solid-to-solid phase transition to graphite, and not to an amorphous state. Our theoretical findings suggest that the nature of this transition is nonthermal, stimulated by a change of the interatomic potential triggered by the excitation of valence electrons. Ultrashort laser pulse duration enables to identify the subsequent steps of this process: electron excitation, band gap collapse, and the following atomic motion. A good agreement between the experimentally measured and theoretically calculated damage thresholds for the XUV range supports our conclusions

Photon energy dependence of graphitization threshold for diamond irradiated with intense XUV FEL pulse

We studied experimentally and theoretically the structural transition of diamond under an irradiation with an intense femtosecond extreme ultraviolet laser (XUV) pulse of 24–275 eV photon energy provided by free-electron lasers. Experimental results obtained show that the irradiated diamond undergoes a solid-to-solid phase transition to graphite, and not to an amorphous state. Our theoretical findings suggest that the nature of this transition is nonthermal, stimulated by a change of the interatomic potential triggered by the excitation of valence electrons. Ultrashort laser pulse duration enables to identify the subsequent steps of this process: electron excitation, band gap collapse, and the following atomic motion. A good agreement between the experimentally measured and theoretically calculated damage thresholds for the XUV range supports our conclusions