Installation and delivery of UV short pulse laser system

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is working on the development of a superconducting electron source (SRF gun) for about 15 years. An integral part of this electron source is a photocathode laser which, in combination with a photocathode, uses the external photoelectric effect to generate electron pulses. These pulses are then accelerated by the electric field of the superconducting RF resonator. The required laser wavelength for this purpose is about 260 nm and the UV pulse energy needs to be between 1 to 10 μJ. Since the laser pulse length is an important optimisation parameter, it should be adjustable in the range of 1-10ps (RMS). On the other hand, the laser repetition rate needs to be 100 kHz, 1 MHz and 13 MHz, because the electron bunches have to be generated continuously. The overall average power in the UV is thus at least 1W.