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Rao, T

Publications and source records attributed to Rao, T.

18 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Measurements of electron transport in liquid and gas Xenon using a laser-driven photocathode

Measurements of electron drift properties in liquid and gaseous xenon are reported. The electrons are generated by the photoelectric effect in a semitransparent gold photocathode driven in transmission mode with a pulsed ultraviolet laser. The charges drift and diffuse in a small chamber at various electric fields and a fixed drift distance of 2.0 cm. At an electric field of 0.5 kV/cm, the measured drift velocities and corresponding temperature coefficients respectively are 1.97 ± 0.04 mm/µs and (-0.69 ± 0.05)%/K for liquid xenon, and 1.42 ± 0.03 mm/µs and (+0.11 ± 0.01)%/K for gaseous xenon at 1.5 bar. In addition, we measure longitudinal diffusion coefficients of 25.7±4.6 cm2/s and 149±23 cm2/s, for liquid and gas, respectively. The quantum efficiency of the gold photocathode is studied at the photon energy of 4.73 eV in liquid and gaseous xenon, and vacuum. These charge transport properties and the behavior of photocathodes in a xenon environment are important in designing and calibrating future large scale noble liquid detectors.

Njoya, Oumarou↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct observation of bi-alkali antimonide photocathodes growth via in operando x-ray diffraction studies

Alkali antimonides have a long history as visible-light-sensitive photocathodes. This work focuses on the process of fabrication of the bi-alkali photocathodes, K{sub 2}CsSb. In-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction and photoresponse measurements were used to monitor phase evolution during sequential photocathode growth mode on Si(100) substrates. The amorphous-to-crystalline transition for the initial antimony layer was observed at a film thickness of 40 Å . The antimony crystalline structure dissolved upon potassium deposition, eventually recrystallizing upon further deposition into K-Sb crystalline modifications. This transition, as well as the conversion of potassium antimonide to K{sub 2}CsSb upon cesium deposition, is correlated with changes in the quantum efficiency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Secondary-electron emission from hydrogen-terminated diamond

Diamond amplifiers demonstrably are an electron source with the potential to support high-brightness, high-average-current emission into a vacuum. We recently developed a reliable hydrogenation procedure for the diamond amplifier. The systematic study of hydrogenation resulted in the reproducible fabrication of high gain diamond amplifier. Furthermore, we measured the emission probability of diamond amplifier as a function of the external field and modelled the process with resulting changes in the vacuum level due to the Schottky effect. We demonstrated that the decrease in the secondary electrons average emission gain was a function of the pulse width and related this to the trapping of electrons by the effective NEA surface. The findings from the model agree well with our experimental measurements. As an application of the model, the energy spread of secondary electrons inside the diamond was estimated from the measured emission.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Simulations of multipacting in the cathode stalk and FPC of 112 MHz superconducting electron gun

A 112 MHz superconducting quarter-wave resonator electron gun will be used as the injector of the Coherent Electron Cooling (CEC) proof-of-principle experiment at BNL. Furthermore, this electron gun can be used for testing of the performance of various high quantum efficiency photocathodes. In a previous paper, we presented the design of the cathode stalks and a Fundamental Power Coupler (FPC). In this paper we present updated designs of the cathode stalk and FPC. Multipacting in the cathode stalk and FPC was simulated using three different codes. All simulation results show no serious multipacting in the cathode stalk and FPC.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron Beam Emission from a Diamond-Amplifier Cathode

The diamond amplifier (DA) is a new device for generating high-current, high-brightness electron beams. Our transmission-mode tests show that, with single-crystal, high-purity diamonds, the peak current density is greater than 400 mA/mm{sup 2}, while its average density can be more than 100 mA/mm{sup 2}. The gain of the primary electrons easily exceeds 200, and is independent of their density within the practical range of DA applications. We observed the electron emission. The maximum emission gain measured was 40, and the bunch charge was 50 pC/0.5 mm{sup 2}. There was a 35% probability of the emission of an electron from the hydrogenated surface in our tests. We identified a mechanism of slow charging of the diamond due to thermal ionization of surface states that cancels the applied field within it. We also demonstrated that a hydrogenated diamond is extremely robust.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Multiscale 3D Simulations of Charge Gain and Transport in Diamond

A promising new concept of a diamond-amplified photocathode for generation of high-current, high-brightness, and low thermal emittance electron beams was recently proposed and is currently under active development. Detailed understanding of physical processes with multiple energy and time scales is required to design reliable and efficient diamond-amplifier cathodes. We have implemented models, within the VORPAL computational framework, to simulate secondary electron generation and charge transport in diamond in order to facilitate the investigation of the relevant effects involved. The models include inelastic scattering of electrons and holes for generation of electron-hole pairs, elastic, phonon, and charge impurity scattering. We describe the integrated modeling capabilities we developed and present results on charge gain and collection efficiency as a function of primary electron energy and applied electric field. We compare simulation results with available experimental data. The simulations show an overall qualitative agreement with the observed charge gain from transmission mode experiments and have enabled better understanding of the collection efficiency measurements.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Doped LaFeO3 as SOFC Catalysts: Control of Oxygen Mobility Oxidation Activity

The bulk structure and surface properties of Fe-based perovskite-type oxides with the formula La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}Co{sub y}Fe{sub 1-y}O{sub 3-{delta}} for y = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 have been investigated. The properties were found to strongly depend upon Co content, temperature, and environment. The materials were selected due to their potential use as solid oxide fuel cell cathodes. The intermediate Co loading formed oxygen vacancies most easily and several other properties including oxidation activity and surface sites showed a similar non-linear trend. Trends are related to a possible transition in electronic structure. Activity for oxidation of methane, oxygen storage and chemical compatibility was shown to be superior to that of the La{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}MnO{sub 3}.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Charge Lifetime Study of K2CsSb Photocathode Inside a JLAB DC High Voltage Gun

Two photocathodes are frequently considered for generating high average current electron beams and/or beams with high brightness for current and future accelerator applications: GaAs:Cs and K2CsSb. Each photocathode has advantages and disadvantages, and need to demonstrate performance at 'production' accelerator facilities. To this end a K2CsSb photocathode was manufactured at Brookhaven National Lab and delivered to Jefferson Lab within a compact vacuum apparatus at pressure {approx} 5 x 10{sup -11} Torr. This photocathode was installed inside a dc high voltage photogun biased at voltages up to 200 kV, and illuminated with laser light at 440 or 532 nm, to generate beams up to 20 mA. Photocathode charge lifetime measurements indicate that under some conditions this cathode has exceptionally high charge lifetime, without measurable QE decay, even from the center of the photocathode where operation using GaAs photocathodes is precluded due to ion bombardment. These studies also suggest a complex QE decay mechanism likely related to chemistry and localized heating via the laser beam.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Simulations of Surface Effects and Electron Emission from Diamond-Amplifier Cathodes

Emission of electrons in diamond experiments based on the promising diamond-amplifier concept was recently demonstrated. Transmission mode experiments have shown the potential to realize over two orders of magnitude charge amplification. However, the recent emission experiments indicate that surface effects should be understood in detail to build cathodes with optimal properties. We have made progress in understanding secondary electron generation and charge transport in diamond with models we implemented in the VORPAL particle-in-cell computational framework. We introduce models that we have been implementing for surface effects (band bending and electron affinity), charge trapping, and electron emission from diamond. Then, we present results from 3D VORPAL diamond-vacuum simulations with the integrated capabilities on generating electrons and holes, initiated by energetic primary electrons, charge transport, and then emission of electrons from diamond into vacuum. Finally, we discuss simulation results on the dependence of the electron emission on diamond surface properties.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

High Efficiency Visible Photocathode Development

The alkali antimonides are of significant interest to the accelerator community, as they have a high quantum efficiency (QE) under illumination by green light. These cathodes are attractive for high-average-current photoinjector applications and understanding their fundamental properties are critical to the production of long lived, reliable cathodes. We report on ongoing work to characterize cathode formation during growth. In-situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD) has been used to compare grain size and texture in antimony layers, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to investigate the solid-state chemistry of cathode formation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Coherent electron cooling demonstration experiment

Coherent electron cooling (CEC) has a potential to significantly boost luminosity of high-energy, high-intensity hadron-hadron and electron-hadron colliders. In a CEC system, a hadron beam interacts with a cooling electron beam. A perturbation of the electron density caused by ions is amplified and fed back to the ions to reduce the energy spread and the emittance of the ion beam. To demonstrate the feasibility of CEC we propose a proof-of-principle experiment at RHIC using SRF linac. In this paper, we describe the setup for CeC installed into one of RHIC's interaction regions. We present results of analytical estimates and results of initial simulations of cooling a gold-ion beam at 40 GeV/u energy via CeC. We plan to complete the program in five years. During first two years we will build coherent electron cooler in IP2 of RHIC. In parallel we will develop complete package of computer simulation tools for the start-to-end simulation predicting exact performance of a CeC. The later activity will be the core of Tech X involvement into the project. We will use these tools to predict the performance of our CeC device. The experimental demonstration of the CeC will be undertaken in years three to five of the project. The goal of this experiment is to demonstrate the cooling of ion beam and to compare its measured performance with predictions made by us prior to the experiments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Modeling and Simulations of Electron Emission from Diamond-Amplified Cathodes

Emission of electrons from a diamond-amplified cathode was recently demonstrated. This experiment was based on a promising new concept for generation of high-current, high-brightness, and low thermal emittance electron beams. The measurements from transmission and emission experiments have shown the potential to realize the diamond-amplified cathode concept. However, the results indicate that the involved physical properties should be understood in greater detail to build diamond cathodes with optical properties. We have already made progress in understanding the secondary electron generation and charge transport in diamond with the models we implemented in the VORPAL computational framework. We have been implementing models for electron emission from diamond and will present results from 3D VORPAL simulations with the integrated capabilities on generating electrons and holes, initiated by energetic primary electrons, propagation of the charge clouds, and then the emission of electrons into diamond. We will discuss simulation results on the dependence of the electron emission on diamond surface properties.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Modeling of Diamond Based Devices for Beam Diagnostics

Beamlines at new light sources, such as the National Synchrotron Light Source II will operate at flux levels beyond the saturation level of existing diagnostics, necessitating the development of new devices. Currently, there is no detector which can span the entire flux range that is possible even in a second generation light source and will become crucial for next generation light sources. One new approach is a diamond-based detector that will be able to monitor beam position, flux and timing to much better resolution. Furthermore, this detector also has linear response to flux over 11 orders of magnitude. However, the successful development of the detector requires thorough understanding and optimization of the physical processes involved. We will discuss the new modeling capabilities we have been implementing in the VORPAL 3D code to investigate the effects of charge generation due to absorption of x-ray photons, transport, and charge trapping. We will report results from VORPAL simulations on charge collection and how it depends on applied field, charge trapping, and the energy of absorbed photons.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Performance Study of K2CsSb Photocathode Inside a DC High Voltage Gun

In the past decade, there has been considerable interest in the generation of tens of mA average current in a photoinjector. Until recently, GaAs:Cs cathodes and K{sub 2}CsSb cathodes have been tested successfully in DC and RF injectors respectively for this application. Our goal is to test the K{sub 2}CsSb photocathode inside a DC gun. Since the multialkali cathode is a compound with constant characteristics over its entire thickness, we anticipate that the lifetime issues seen in GaAs:Cs due to surface damage by ion bombardment would be minimized. Hence successful operation of the K{sub 2}CsSb cathode in a DC gun could lead to a relatively robust electron source capable of delivering ampere level currents. In order to test the performance of a K{sub 2}CsSb cathode in a DC gun, we have designed and built a load lock system that allows the fabrication of the cathode at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) and its testing at Jefferson Lab (JLab). In this paper, we will present the performance of the K{sub 2}CsSb photocathode in the preparation chamber and in the DC gun.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Proof-of-principle experiment for FEL-based coherent electron cooling

Coherent electron cooling (CEC) has a potential to significantly boost luminosity of high-energy, high-intensity hadron-hadron and electron-hadron colliders. In a CEC system, a hadron beam interacts with a cooling electron beam. A perturbation of the electron density caused by ions is amplified and fed back to the ions to reduce the energy spread and the emittance of the ion beam. To demonstrate the feasibility of CEC we propose a proof-of-principle experiment at RHIC using SRF linac. In this paper, we describe the setup for CeC installed into one of RHIC's interaction regions. We present results of analytical estimates and results of initial simulations of cooling a gold-ion beam at 40 GeV/u energy via CeC. We plan to complete the program in five years. During first two years we will build coherent electron cooler in IP2 of RHIC. In parallel we will develop complete package of computer simulation tools for the start-to-end simulation predicting exact performance of a CeC. The later activity will be the core of Tech X involvement into the project. We will use these tools to predict the performance of our CeC device. The experimental demonstration of the CeC will be undertaken in years three to five of the project. The goal of this experiment is to demonstrate the cooling of ion beam and to compare its measured performance with predictions made by us prior to the experiments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗