Experimental characterization of CANDELA photo-injector

CANDELA photo-injector is made of a 2-cell S-band RF gun, using a dispenser cathode illuminated by a Ti : sapphire laser. This electron source provides a single bunch (at 12.5 Hz), with a charge of 1 nC and an energy of 2 MeV. After recalling the experimental set-up, this paper presents some results concerning mainly energy and bunch length measurements, and also comparisons with simulations done with the PARMELA code. Measured pulse durations of less than 10 ps show for the first time that dispenser photocathodes are “fast response” cathodes.