ELYSE - A picosecond electron accelerator for pulse radiolysis research
Abstract
Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the use of intense, short pulse electron beams for pulsed radiolysis research. Laser driven photo-cathodes inserted in radio frequency (RF) guns are ideal candidates to provide electron beams for time-resolved spectroscopic observation of very fast chemical reactions. These guns have been developed through accelerator R&D programmes in the field of high brightness sources for other applications (linear colliders, free electron lasers). The Physical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Paris-Sud has created a Fast Kinetics Centre for experimental pulse radiolysis with picosecond time resolution. At the heart of this new facility is a compact 4-9 MeV electron accelerator. ELYSE, using RF gun technology. It has been designed and built by the Linear Accelerator Laboratory at the University of Paris-Sud. We will describe the construction and commissioning of ELYSE, the first machine of this type in Europe.