Chicane-based beam loading compensation for high average current electron bunch trains

High average current and high-brightness electron bunch trains enable a broad range of accelerator-based facilities to explore scientific frontiers with higher resolution and efficiency. The beam loading effect induced by high beam currents strongly influences the beam dynamics and is a critical challenge for normal-conducting linacs operating in burst mode. Effective compensation methods are essential for enhancing beam quality. Traditional compensation techniques often require the addition of extra compensation structures or dedicated power supply components, which increases both the cost and complexity of the accelerator system. In this paper, we propose a novel beam loading compensation method by employing chicanes, which are commonly utilized in accelerator-based facilities, to adjust the spacing between bunches for optimal phase tuning during acceleration. Simulation results for an electron injector design show a root mean square energy spread of less than <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mn>2</a:mn><a:mo>×</a:mo><a:msup><a:mn>10</a:mn><a:mrow><a:mo>−</a:mo><a:mn>4</a:mn></a:mrow></a:msup></a:math> and a transverse normalized emittance below 0.5 mm mrad for a 1 A bunch train.