State-of-the-Art Electron Guns and Injector Designs for Energy Recovery Linacs (ERL)

A key technology issue of energy recovery linac (ERL) devices for high-power free-electron laser (FEL) and fourth generation light sources is the demonstration of reliable, high-brightness, high-power injector operation. Three ongoing programs that target up to 0.5 Ampere photocathode injector performance with required ERL brightness, are described. The first is a DC gun and superconducting RF (SRF) booster cryomodule. Such a 748.5 MHz device is being assembled and will be tested up to 100 mA at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLAB) beginning in 2006. The second approach is a high-current normal-conducting RF (NCRF) injector. A 700 MHz gun will undergo thermal test in late 2005 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which when equipped with a suitable cathode, would be capable of exceeding 0.5 Ampere operation. Finally, a half-cell 703.75 MHz SRF gun with a diamond amplifier and other cathodes, will be tested to 0.5 Ampere at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in 2007. The status and projected performance for each of these injector projects is presented.