Diffraction and depths-of-field effects in electron beam imaging at SURF III

Imaging an electron beam with visible light is a common method of diagnostics applied to electron accelerators. It is a straightforward way to deduce the transverse electron distribution as well as its changes over time. The electrons stored in the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) III at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were studied over an extended period of time to characterize the upgraded accelerator. There is good agreement between experimental and theoretical horizontal beam sizes at three different electron energies.