• S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg

The VUV-FEL is a free electron laser user facility being commissioned at DESY. It is based on the TTF-FEL, which was in operation until end of 2002 providing a photon beam for two pilot experiments in the wavelength range of 80 to 120 nm. In its final configuration, the new VUV-FEL is designed to produce SASE FEL radiation with a wavelength down to 6 nm with high brilliance. The commissioning started in fall 2004, and in January 2005 succeeded in first lasing in the SASE mode at a wavelength of 32 nm with a radiation power in the saturation range. This is a major milestone of the facility and of SASE FELs in general. This contribution reports on the present the electron linac driving the FEL, on properties of the electron beam and on the characterization of the FEL photon beam.

• K. Honkavaara, F. Loehl
  Uni HH, Hamburg
• M. Castellano, G. Di Pirro
  INFN/LNF, Frascati (Roma)
• L. Catani, A. Cianchi
  INFN-Roma II, Roma
• D. Noelle, S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg
• M. Sachwitz, E.S. sombrowski
  DESY Zeuthen, Zeuthen

The VUV-FEL is a new free electron laser user facility under commissioning at DESY. High demands on the electron beam quality require sophisticated beam diagnostics tools and methods. At the VUV-FEL, the transverse characterization of the electron beam is performed using optical transition radiation (OTR) monitors and wirescanners. This paper refers the concepts, analysis, and results of these measurements. The main emphasis is put on the emittance measurements, in which we have regularly observed small rms emittances around 1.4 mm mrad for 90% of a 1 nC bunch at 127 MeV beam energy.

• Y. Kim, K. Floettmann, S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg
• D. Son
  CHEP, Daegu

Funding: for the TTF2 VUV-FEL Team

By the help of nonlinearity in the longitudinal phase space, the VUV-FEL at the TESLA Test Facility phase 2 (TTF2) is under operating in the femtosecond (fs) FEL mode which generates coherent and ultra-bright SASE source with photon pulse duration time of around 20 fs (FWHM) and wavelength of around 32 nm. For the fs FEL mode operation, bunch length of electron beams should be compressed by two bunch compressors to have a leading spike in the longitudinal beam density distribution or peak current. The required peak current at the spike is higher than about 1.0 kA, and the spike length is shorter than around 200 fs (FWHM). In this paper, we describe our commissioning experiences to optimize two TTF2 bunch compressors for the fs FEL mode operation.

• Y. Kim, K. Floettmann, S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg

Funding: for the TTF2 VUV-FEL Team

Generally, due to the space chare force, projected transverse emittance is increased at the region between gun and booster linac. However the emittance can be continuously damped in the booster linac by the so-called Ferrario's matching principle. Even though our longitudinal laser profile is not flat top shape during TTF2 commissioning, we could get a good emittance after booster linac (ACC1). For 1.0 nC and 90% beam intensity, our normalized projected transverse rms emittance was about 1.1 mm.mrad, and it was about 1.8 mm.mrad for 100% beam intensity. In this paper, we will compare our measured results with simulation ones, and we will show our first experimental demonstration of Ferrario's matching principle with Gaussian longitudinal laser beam profile.

• S. Schreiber
  DESY, Hamburg

The VUV-FEL is a free electron laser user facility being commissioned at DESY in Hamburg. In the current configuration, the linac accelerates an electron beam up to 800 MeV. The injector is a crucial part of the linac, since it has to generate and maintain a high brightness electron beam required for SASE operation. The injector includes a laser driven RF gun, a booster section, a bunch compressor, and diagnostic sections. The good performance of the injector was crucial for the first lasing of the VUV-FEL at a wavelength of 32 nm in January 2005. We report on the present layout of the injector, the properties of the electron beam and on upgrade plans scheduled in the near future.

• 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.