• M.C. Thompson, H. Badakov, J.B. Rosenzweig, G. Travish
  UCLA, Los Angeles, California
• H. Edwards, R.P. Fliller, G.M. Kazakevich, P. Piot, J.K. Santucci
  Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois
• J.L. Li, R. Tikhoplav
  Rochester University, Rochester, New York

An underdense plasma lens experiment is planned as a collaboration between UCLA and the Fermilab NICADD Photoinjector Laboratory (FNPL). The experiment will focus on measuring the variation of the plasma focusing along the longitudinal beam axis and comparing these results with theory and simulation. The experiment will utilize a thin gaussian underdense plasma lens with peak density 6 x 10¹² cm-3 and a FWHM length of 1.6 cm. This plasma lens will have a focusing strength equivalent to a quadrupole magnet with a 180 T/m field gradient. A 15 MeV, 8nC electron beam with nominal dimensions sr = 400 μm and sz = 2.1 mm will be focused by this plasma lens onto an OTR screen approximately 2 cm downstream of the lens. The light from the OTR screen will be imaged into a streak camera in order to directly measure the correlation between z and sr within the beam. Status and progress on the experiment are reported.