• M. Boscolo, M. Ferrario, V. Fusco, B. Spataro, C. Vaccarezza
  INFN/LNF, Frascati (Roma)
• L. Giannessi, M. Quattromini, C. Ronsivalle
  ENEA C.R. Frascati, Frascati (Roma)
• M.  Migliorati, L. Palumbo
  Rome University La Sapienza, Roma
• L. Serafini
  INFN-Milano, Milano

The first phase of the SPARX project is essentially an R&D activity focused on developing techniques and critical components for future X-ray FEL facilities. The SPARXINO test facility will generate ultra-high peak brightness electron beams at 1 GeV, thanks to the upgrade of the existing Frascati 800 MeV linac. This facility will allow driving a single pass FEL experiment in the range of 3-5 nm, both in SASE and SEEDED FEL configurations. A peculiarity of this linac design is the choice of integrating a rectilinear RF compressor in the early stage of the acceleration, producing a 300-500 A beam, with a magnetic chicane afterwards, for a further compression up to 1 kA. In this paper we discuss the dynamics of the beam, which is in the space charge dominated regime throughout almost all the linac. Start to end simulations and preliminary stability studies taking into account some significant parameter fluctuations are also reported.

• L. Palumbo
  Rome University La Sapienza, Roma
• D. Alesini, M. Bellaveglia, S. Bertolucci, M.E. Biagini, R. Boni, M. Boscolo, M. Castellano, A. Clozza, G. Di Pirro, A. Drago, A. Esposito, M. Ferrario, D. Filippetto, V. Fusco, A. Gallo, A. Ghigo, S. Guiducci, M.  Migliorati, A. Mostacci, L. Pellegrino, M.A. Preger, C. Sanelli, M. Serio, F. Sgamma, B. Spataro, A. Stella, F. Tazzioli, C. Vaccarezza, M. Vescovi, C. Vicario
  INFN/LNF, Frascati (Roma)
• F. Alessandria, A. Bacci
  INFN/LASA, Segrate (MI)
• F. Broggi, S. Cialdi, C. De Martinis, D. Giove, C. Maroli, M. Mauri, V. Petrillo, M. Rome, L. Serafini
  INFN-Milano, Milano
• L. Catani, E. Chiadroni, A. Cianchi, C. Schaerf
  INFN-Roma II, Roma
• F. Ciocci, G. Dattoli, A. Doria, F. Flora, G.P. Gallerano, L. Giannessi, E. Giovenale, G. Messina, P.L. Ottaviani, G. Parisi, L. Picardi, M. Quattromini, A. Renieri, C. Ronsivalle
  ENEA C.R. Frascati, Frascati (Roma)
• P. Emma
  SLAC, Menlo Park, California
• M. Mattioli
  Universita di Roma I La Sapienza, Roma
• P. Musumeci
  INFN-Roma, Roma
• S. Reiche, J.B. Rosenzweig
  UCLA, Los Angeles, California

The first phase of the SPARX project, now funded by MIUR (Research Department of Italian Government), is an R&D activity focused on developing techniques and critical components for future X-ray FEL facilities. This project is the natural extension of the activities under development within the ongoing SPARC collaboration. The aim is the generation of electron beams characterized by an ultra-high peak brightness with a linear accelerator based on the upgrade of the existing Frascati 800 MeV LINAC and to drive a single pass FEL experiment in the range of 3-5 nm, both in SASE and SEEDED FEL configurations, exploiting the use of superconducting and exotic undulator sections. In this paper we discuss the present status of the collaboration.

• A. Oppelt, K. Abrahamyan, G. Asova, J.W. Baehr, G. Dimitrov, U. Gensch, H.-J. Grabosch, J.H. Han, S. Khodyachykh, G. Klemz, M. Krasilnikov, S. Liu, V. Miltchev, B. Petrosyan, S. Riemann, L. Staykov, F. Stephan
  DESY Zeuthen, Zeuthen
• W. Ackermann, W.F.O. Muller, S. Schnepp, T. Weiland
  TEMF, Darmstadt
• D. Alesini, M. Boscolo, G. Di Pirro, M. Ferrario, D. Filippetto, L. Palumbo, C. Vicario
  INFN/LNF, Frascati (Roma)
• V. Boccone
  Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin
• L. Catani, E. Chiadroni, A. Cianchi
  INFN-Roma II, Roma
• K. Floettmann, S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg
• T. Garvey
  LAL, Orsay
• M.V. Hartrott, E. Jaeschke, D. Kraemer, D. Lipka, F. Marhauser, R. Richter
  BESSY GmbH, Berlin
• P. Michelato, L. Monaco, C. Pagani, D. Sertore
  INFN/LASA, Segrate (MI)
• V.V. Paramonov
  RAS/INR, Moscow
• N. Pavel
  Humboldt University Berlin, Institut für Physik, Berlin
• J.R. Roensch, J. Rossbach
  Uni HH, Hamburg
• W. Sandner, I. Will
  MBI, Berlin
• I. Tsakov
  INRNE, Sofia

Funding: This work has been partly supported by the European Community, contract numbers RII3-CT-2004-506008 and 011935, and by the 'Impuls- und Vernetzungsfonds" of the Helmholtz Association, contract number VH-FZ-05.

Since December 2004, the photo injector test facility at DESY in Zeuthen (PITZ) has been upgraded. A normal conducting copper booster cavity has been installed and the diagnostics beamline has been strongly modified. An extended water cooling system has been installed and was successfully taken into operation. Actually, the new diagnostics elements are being commissioned. After the installation of the new 10 MW klystron in June/July, the gun can be conditioned towards higher average power, and the whole beamline including the booster will be taken into operation. First results from the commissioning phase including gun and booster conditioning are reported.

• H. Loos, D. Dowell
  SLAC, Menlo Park, California
• M. Boscolo, M. Ferrario, C. Vicario
  INFN/LNF, Frascati (Roma)
• M. Petrarca
  INFN-Roma, Roma
• L. Serafini
  INFN-Milano, Milano
• B. Sheehy, Y. Shen, T. Tsang, X.J. Wang
  BNL, Upton, Long Island, New York

Funding: Work supported by DOE contracts DE-AC02-76SF00515 and DE-AC02-98CH10886

The photoinjectors for future short wavelength high brightness accelerator driven light sources need to produce an electron beam with ultra-low emittance. At the DUV-FEL facility at BNL, we studied the effect of longitudinally shaping the photocathode laser pulses on the electron beam dynamics. We report on measurements of transverse and longitudinal electron beam emittance and comparisons of the experimental results with simulations.