The Effects of Space Charge on Electron Pulse Broadening in Streak Cameras

Streak cameras are used to record the time history of laser pulses and experimental signals at LLE. However, space charge effects can distort images recorded on the phosphor screen of streak cameras, making it difficult to impossible to accurately interpret the image. Space charge effects are caused by the interactions between the photoelectrons while in transit in the streak tube. These interactions cause the electrons to repel, making the entire pulse broaden. For this project, a computer program was written to simulate the movement of electrons through the streak camera. This program enables one to accurately predict the amount of space charge broadening that would occur with given initial conditions for a particular design. This predictive capability will lead to improvements in streak cameras in the future, allowing streak cameras to record pulses with sub-picosecond temporal resolution.