One of the main tasks for advanced experiments in modern accelerators is the generation of low-energy and high-brightness beams. The Advanced Research Electron Accelerator Laboratory (AREAL) is a linear electron accelerator based on a photocathode RF gun. The basic aim of this facility is to generate electron bunches of sub-picosecond duration with an extremely small beam emittance for ultrafast processes in advanced experimental studies in the fields of accelerator technology and dynamics, material and life sciences. In this paper, the current status and plans for further upgrades of the diagnostic system, along with the techniques used for transverse beam emittance measurements, are presented.

In this paper the beam-based alignment for solenoid and quadrupole magnets in the AREAL linear accelerator is presented. The AREAL accelerator, at this stage, operates with one solenoid, one quadrupole, corrector, and dipole magnets. The adjustment of solenoid and quadrupole magnets is crucial for the stable operation of the accelerator and for forming the desired beam required for the AREAL upgrade program. This work also takes into account the influence of the RF field radial component on the off-axis beam parameters and trajectory due to laser spot misalignment on the cathode. The study involves theoretical, simulation, and experimental comparisons.

In this paper, the widely used RF measurement bead-pull technique for the S-band accelerating structure pre-tuning of the AREAL linear accelerator is presented. Bead-pull measurements were conducted before brazing with various group sets of accelerating cells to evaluate the effectiveness of “smart combinations” for AREAL accelerating structures. The “smart combination” technique represents the grouping of cells with corresponding lengths to achieve the same length sets (triplets for 2π/3 mode) as it is possible. Cell lengths were measured in advance based on TM resonance frequencies measurement. This procedure will significantly reduce the tuning routine required after brazing.