Proposal for a Sub-100 fs Electron Bunch Arrival-time Monitor for the VUV-FEL at DESY

H. Schlarb, S. Düsterer, J. Feldhaus, J. Hauschildt, R. Ischebeck, K. Ludwig, B. Schmidt, P. Schmüser, S. Simrock, B. Steffen, F. Van den Berghe, A. Winter
DESY, Hamburg
P.H. Bucksbaum, A. Cavalieri, D. Fritz, S. Lee, D. Reis
Michigan University, Ann Arbor, Michigan

For pump-probe experiments at the VUV-Free Electron Laser at DESY, an external optical laser system will be installed, capable of delivering ultra-short pulses of high intensity. The laser pulses with a center wavelength of 800 nm are synchronized with the VUV-FEL beam which covers the wavelength range between 6 nm and 80 nm. The expected pulse durations are typically 100 fs FWHM or below. For high-resolution pump-probe experiments a precise knowledge of the time difference between both pulses is mandatory. In this paper we describe the layout and the design of a high-precision electron bunch arrival time monitor based on an electro-optic technique. We present the numerical results of simulations that include: the laser propagation in a specifically designed demanding optical system, the laser transport through a 150 m long optical fibre, the electro-optically induced effect in different types of crystals and for different electron bunch shapes as well as the effects of wake fields on the co-propagating electric-fields and their impact on the observable signals.

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