Electron beam production and characterization for the PLEIADES Thomson x-ray source

We report on the performance of an S-band RF photocathode electron gun and accelerator for operation with the PLEIADES Thomson x-ray source at LLNL. Simulations of beam production, transport, and focus are presented. It is shown that a 1 ps, 500 pC electron bunch with a normalized emittance of less than 5 pimm-mrad can be delivered to the interaction point. Initial electron measurements are presented. Calculations of expected x-ray flux are also performed, demonstrating an expected peak spectral brightness Of 1 020 photons/s/mm(2) /mrad(2)/0.1% bandwidth. Effects of RF phase jitter are also presented, and planned phase measurements and control methods are discussed.