Intense terahertz pulses from SPARC-LAB coherent radiation source

The linac-based Terahertz source at the SPARC_LAB test facility is able to gene rate highly intense Terahertz broadband pulses via coherent transition radiation (CTR) from high brightness electron beams. The THz pulse duration is typically down to 100 fs RMS and can be tuned through the electron bunch duration and shaping. The measured stored energy in a single THz pulse has reached 40 μ J, which corresponds to a peak electric field of 1.6 MV/cm at the THz focus. Here we present the main features, in particular spatial and sp ectral distributions and energy characterizations of the SPARC_LAB THz source, which is very competitive for investigations in Condensed Matter, as well as a valid tool for electron beam longitudinal diagnostics

Beam manipulation for resonant plasma wakefield acceleration

Plasma-based acceleration has already proved the ability to reach ultra-high accelerating gradients. However the step towards the realization of a plasma-based accelerator still requires some e ff ort to guarantee high brightness beams, stability and reliability. A significant improvement in the efficiency of PWFA has been demonstrated so far accelerating a witness bunch in the wake of a higher charge driver bunch. The transformer ratio, therefore the energy transfer from the driver to the witness beam, can be increased by resonantly exciting the plasma with a properly pre-shaped drive electron beam. Theoretical and experimental studies of beam manipulation for resonant PWFA will be presented her

Operational experience on the generation and control of high brightness electron bunch trains at SPARC-LAB

Sub-picosecond, high-brightness electron bunch trains are routinely produced at SPARC-LAB via the velocity bunching technique. Such bunch trains can be used to drive multi-color Free Electron Lasers (FELs) and plasma wake field accelerators. In this paper we present recent results at SPARC-LAB on the generation of such beams, highlighting the key points of our scheme. We will discuss also the on-going machine upgrades to allow driving FELs with plasma accelerated beams or with short electron pulses at an increased energy

AATF/Che-1 RNA polymerase II binding protein overexpression reduces the anti-tumor NK-cell cytotoxicity through activating receptors modulation

IntroductionAATF/Che-1 over-expression in different tumors is well known and its effect on tumorigenicity is mainly due to its central role demonstrated in the oncogenic pathways of solid tumors, where it controls proliferation and viability. The effect exerted by tumors overexpressing Che-1 on the immune response has not yet been investigated.MethodsStarting from ChIP-sequencing data we confirmed Che-1 enrichment on Nectin-1 promoter. Several co-cultures experiments between NK-cells and tumor cells transduced by lentiviral vectors carrying Che-1-interfering sequence, analyzed by flow-cytometry have allowed a detailed characterization of NK receptors and tumor ligands expression.ResultsHere, we show that Che-1 is able to modulate the expression of Nectin-1 ligand at the transcriptional level, leading to the impairment of killing activity of NK-cells. Nectin-1 down-modulation induces a modification in NK-cell ligands expression able to interact with activating receptors and to stimulate NK-cell function. In addition, NK-cells from Che-1 transgenic mice, confirming a reduced expression of activating receptors, exhibit impaired activation and a preferential immature status.DiscussionThe critical equilibrium between NK-cell ligand expression on tumor cells and the interaction with NK cell receptors is affected by Che-1 over-expression and partially restored by Che-1 interference. The evidence of a new role for Che-1 as regulator of anti-tumor immunity supports the necessity to develop approaches able to target this molecule which shows a dual tumorigenic function as cancer promoter and immune response modulator

Tailoring of Highly Intense THz Radiation Through High Brightness Electron Beams Longitudinal Manipulation

The ultra-short electron beams, produced through the velocity bunching compression technique at the SPARC_LAB test Facility (Frascati, Italy), are used to produce Coherent Transition Radiation in the terahertz (THz) range. This paper reports on the main features of this THz source, which have a spectral coverage up to 5 THz, a pulse duration down to 100 fs, and an energy per pulse on the order of tens of μJ. These figures of merits open the possibility to apply this source for nonlinear and THz pump-probe experiments in Solid-State Physics and material science

First single-shot and non-intercepting longitudinal bunch diagnostics for comb-like beam by means of Electro-Optic Sampling

At SPARC-LAB, we have installed an Electro-Optic Sampling (EOS) experiment for single shot, non-destructive measurements of the longitudinal distribution charge of individual electron bunches. The profile of the electron bunch field is electro-optically encoded into a Ti:Sa laser, having 130 fs (rms) pulse length, directly derived from the photocathode's laser. The bunch profile information is spatially retrieved, i.e., the laser crosses with an angle of 30 with respect to the normal to the surface of EO crystal (ZnTe, Gap) and the bunch longitudinal profile is mapped into the laser's transverse profile. In particular, we used the EOS for a single-shot direct visualization of the time profile of a comb-like electron beam, consisting of two bunches, about 100 fs (rms) long, sub-picosecond spaced with a total charge of 160 pC. The electro-optic measurements (done with both ZnTe and GaP crystals) have been validated with both RE Deflector (RFD) and Michelson interferometer measurements. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserve

Conceptual Design Report - A 250 GHz Radio Frequency CARM Source for Plasma Fusion

The book presents the conceptual design for a Cyclotron Auto Resonance Maser source, operating at 250 GHz and conceived for Plasma Fusion research activities. The study is aimed at planning the construction of such a device at the ENEA Frascati Center, within the framework of the researches pertaining to the nuclear fusion. This foreseen activity gathers together different skills traditionally present in ENEA and including nuclear fusion, accelerator technology, beam handling and transport, superconductivity. The report covers the different details of the project and is divided in two parts. The first contains a general description of the entire system, furthermore it describes the motivations underlying the choice of the device, the relevant theoretical foundations, the reasons for the choice of the operating parameters and the expected performances of the source. In the second part the project details are reported and each constituting item is properly described in the technical annexes: the cathode design and the electron beam shaping and transport; the power supply and electrical pulse forming line; the Superconducting magnet and CARM cavity characteristics; the code development effort for the analysis of the radiation output performances