Experimental characterization of a space charge induced modulation in high-brightness electron beam

Abstract

We present the experimental investigation of a collective effect driving strong modulation in the longitudinal phase space of a high-brightness electron beam. The measured beam energy spectrum was analyzed in order to reveal the main parameters of modulation. The experimental results were compared with a model of space-charge oscillations in the beam longitudinal phase space. The measurements and analysis allowed us to determine the range of the parameters of the observed effect on the modulation dynamics and illustrate its potential impact on short-wavelength free-electron laser performance.