• S.L. Smith, C.D. Beard, R.K. Buckley, S.R. Buckley, P.A. Corlett, D.J. Dunning, P. Goudket, S.F. Hill, F. Jackson, S.P. Jamison, J.K. Jones, L.B. Jones, P.A. McIntosh, J.W. McKenzie, K.J. Middleman, B.L. Militsyn, A.J. Moss, B.D. Muratori, J.F. Orrett, P.J. Phillips, Y.M. Saveliev, D.J. Scott, B.J.A. Shepherd, N. Thompson, A.E. Wheelhouse, P.H. Williams
  STFC/DL/ASTeC, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire
• K. Harada
  KEK, Ibaraki
• D.J. Holder, P. Weightman
  The University of Liverpool, Liverpool
• M. Surman
  STFC/DL/SRD, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire

ALICE (Accelerators and Lasers In Combined Experiments), a 35 MeV energy recovery linac based light source, is being commissioned and developed as an experimental R&D facility for a wide range of projects that could employ synchronized ultra-short (<1ps) electron bunches and light pulses. A suit of light sources includes an IR FEL, Compton backscattering (CBS) X-ray source, high power THz source and a multi-TW femtosecond laser. The full energy recovery and coherently enhanced, due to shortness of the electron bunches, THz radiation have been already demonstrated on ALICE. Completion of the first phase of the CBS x-ray source experiment and first lasing of the IR FEL by the end of 2009. Status of ALICE experimental facility and latest results on FEL, THz, and CBS development are reported in this paper.

• G.J. Hirst
  STFC/RAL, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon
• S.P. Jamison, L.B. Jones, A.J. Moss
  STFC/DL/ASTeC, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire
• P.J. Phillips
  University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee, Scotland

The NLS project team is designing a UK-based ultrashort light pulse facility covering the whole spectrum from the terahertz to the soft X-ray. It will be based on a suite of sources including seeded FELs, conventional lasers and undulators. Experiments will frequently be multi-beam and will often depend on precise management of the pulse timings. With pulse durations of ~20fs or less the aim will be to reduce timing jitter to the 10-20fs level. In addition to the needs of the NLS’s users, stable operation of the machine itself will also require adequate timing control. In particular reproducible FEL operation will depend on good temporal overlap between the seed photons and the electron bunches. This paper covers both the underlying issues, (e.g. choice of pulse rates, passive and active timing management, requirements specification) and also the approaches taken in specific NLS areas (e.g. choice of clock and distribution system, management of electron bunch timing, management of fluctuations in beam transport paths). An overall jitter budget is presented.

Slides