Investigation of the phase space distribution of electron bunches at the FLASH-linac using a transverse deflecting structure

The operation of a high-gain free-electron laser (FEL) puts stringent demands on the peak current, transverse emittance and energy spread of the electron beam. At the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH), a transverse deflecting structure (TDS) has been installed to investigate these electron beam parameters. The radio-frequency electromagnetic field in the TDS is utilized to deflect the beam electrons vertically as a function of time so that the charge distribution in the longitudinal-horizontal plane can be imaged with optical transition radiation screens. Using this technique, the single-bunch current profile was measured with an unprecedented resolution of about 10 μm (30 fs) under FEL operating conditions. A precise single-shot measurement of the energy distribution along a bunch was accomplished by using the TDS in combination with an energy spectrometer. Appropriate variations of the focal strengths of quadrupole magnets allowed for the measurement of the horizontal emittance as a function of the longitudinal position within a bunch (slice emittance) with a longitudinal resolution in the order of 10 μm. While the slice emittance in the peak current region was measured to be significantly larger than deduced from properties of the FEL radiation, tomographic methods revealed a bunch region of small horizontal emittance and high current. The observed increase in slice emittance in the peak current region was found to be caused by coherent emission of synchrotron radiation within bending magnets. (orig.)