Successful user operation of a superconducting radio-frequency photo electron gun with Mg cathodes at ELBE

At the ELBE high power radiation facility, the second version of a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) photoinjector has been put into operation and is now routinely applied for user operation at the ELBE electron accelerator. SRF guns are suitable for generating continuous wave (CW) electron beam with high average currents and high beam brightness. The SRF gun at ELBE has the goal to generate short electron pulses with bunch charges of 200-300 pC at typical repetition rates of 100 kHz for the production of super radiant, coherent terahertz radiation. The SRF gun includes a 3.5-cell, 1.3 GHz niobium cavity and a superconducting solenoid. A support system with liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling allows the operation of normal-conducting, high quantum efficiency photo cathodes. In the paper we present the design and performance of the SRF gun as well as beam measurements for the operation with Mg photocathodes and an acceleration gradient of 8 MV/m (4 MeV kinetic energy). Finally, we discuss the SRF gun application for production of coherent terahertz radiation at the ELBE facility.