Subnanosecond High-Intensity Beam Pulse

We have completed the design and installation of a new bunching system for the Argonne electron linear accelerator originally placed into operation in 1969. It now routinely produces a pulse as short as 40 ps in duration with a charge of at least 7 nC (180A in amplitude) for use with experiments in the very "short" time reaction region. Such a pulse is produced over an energy range of 4 to 20 MeV with an accompanying total energy spread of 300 keV. Frequency of production is variable from one single pulse up to a PRR of 800 P/s. Efficiency of acceleration from the gun to the output of the accelerator is 50 percent. Details of the bunching system, including the method of calculation with space charge inclusion, geometrical factors and hardware, and operational results are given.