Longitudinal beam dynamics in electron injectors

Polarized electrons are a valuable commodity for nuclear physics research and every effort must be made to preserve them during transport. Measurements of the beam emitted from the polarized source at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) have shown a considerable bunch lengthening with increasing beam current. This lengthening leads to unacceptable loss as the beam passes through the injector chopping system. We present an application of the longitudinal envelope equation to describe the bunch lengthening and compare the results to measurements and simulations using PARMELA. In addition, a possible solution to the problem by adding a low power buncher to the beamline is described and initial results are shown.