Electron beam phase-space measurement using a high-precision tomography technique

We report a measurement of the multidimensional phase-space density distribution of an electron bunch. The measurement combines the techniques of picosecond slice-emittance measurement and high-resolution tomographic measurement of transverse phase space. This technique should have a significant impact on the development of low emittance beams and their many applications, such as short-wavelength free-electron lasers and laser accelerators. A diagnostic that provides detailed information on the density distribution of the electron bunch in multidimensional phase space is an essential tool for obtaining a small emittance at a reasonable charge and for understanding the physics of emittance growth. We previously reported a measurement of the slice emittance of a picosecond electron beam [J. S. Fraser, R. L. Sheffield, and E. R. Gray, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 250, 71 (1986).]. The tomographic reconstruction of the phase space was suggested [X. Qiu, K. Batchelor, I. Ben-Zvi, and X. J. Wang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3723 (1996).] and implemented [C. B. McKee, P. G. O'Shea, and J. M. J. Madey, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 358, 264 (1995); I. Ben-Zvi, J. X. Qiu, and X. J. Wang, in Proceedings of the Particle Accelerator Conference, Vancouver, 1997 (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 1997).] using a single quadrupole scan. In the present work we expand the tomographic reconstruction work and combine it with the slice-emittance method. Our present tomographic work pays special attention to the accuracy of the phase-space reconstruction. We use a transport line with nine focusing magnets, and present an analysis and technique aimed at the control of the optical functions and phases. This high-precision phase-space tomography together with the ability to modify the radial charge distribution of the electron beam presents an opportunity to improve the emittance and apply nonlinear radial emittance corrections. Combining the slice emittance and tomography diagnostics leads to an unprecedented visualization of phase-space distributions in five-dimensional phase space and provides an opportunity to perform high-order emittance corrections.