Design and evaluation of a pre-traveling wave deflector magnetic solenoid lens focused streak image tube

Abstract

Owing to the excellent feature of ultrahigh temporal resolution, the streak image tube has been the indispensable scientific instrument for the application to measurement of ultrafast phenomena on subpicosecond time scale. In this paper, a new femtosecond streak image tube with both high temporal and spatial resolution is designed. To improve its integrated performance, a pair of traveling wave deflectors is located before a magnetic solenoid lens in the tube, which minimizes the electron transit time from anode to deflection plates and therefore reduces time dispersion and space charge effects. Using CST microwave studio finite element method, bandwidth and deflection sensitivity of traveling wave deflector have been studied numerically. The result shows that the wide bandwidth of the traveling wave deflectors designed is beneficial to slow down the electrical deflecting pulse to match the beam velocity in a wide frequency range, which can improve the deflection sensitivity. After tracing the trajectory of electrons and calculating the modulation transform function, we get temporal resolution of 220 fs and spatial resolution above 100 lp/mm. Based on the aberration theory, the aberration formulas of electron trajectory are deduced, which systematically evaluate the imaging quality of streak image tube with modulation transfer function. Finally, static experiment is carried out, and the result shows that the static spatial resolution is better than 35 lp/mm.