SLAC, Menlo Park, California, USA
HZDR, Dresden, Germany
FRIB, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
ANL, Lemont, Illinois, USA
The LCLS-II-HE project at SLAC is intended to increase the photon energy reach of the LCLS-II FEL to at least 20 keV. In addition to upgrading the undulator system, and increasing the electron beam energy to 8 GeV, the project will also construct a low-emittance injector (LEI) in a new tunnel. To achieve the LEI emittance goals, a low-MTE photocathode will be required, as will on-cathode electric fields up to 50% higher than those achievable in the current LCLS-II photoinjector. The beam source for the LEI will be based around a superconducting quarterwave cavity resonant at 185.7 MHz. A prototype gun is currently being designed and fabricated at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University. This paper presents the performance goals for the new gun design, an overview of the prototype development effort, current status, and future plans including fabrication of a "production" gun for the LEI.
