Enhancing particle bunch-length measurements based on Radio Frequency Deflector by the use of focusing elements

Abstract

A method to monitor the length of a particle bunch, based on the combination of a Radio Frequency Deflector (RFD) with magnetic focusing elements, is presented. With respect to state-of-the-art bunch length measurement, the additional focusing element allows to measure also the correlations between the longitudinal and transverse planes in terms of both position and divergence. Furthermore, the quadrupole-based focusing increases the input dynamic range of the measurement system (i.e. allows for a larger range of beam Twiss parameters at the entrance of the RFD). Thus, measurement resolution and precision are enhanced, by simultaneously preserving the accuracy. In this paper, the method is first introduced analytically, and then validated in simulation, by the reference tool ELEctron Generation ANd Tracking, ELEGANT. Finally, a preliminary experimental validation at CLEAR (CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research) is reported.