This report describes the conceptual steps in reaching the design of the AWAKE experiment currently under construction at CERN. We start with an introduction to plasma wakefield acceleration and the motivation for using proton drivers. We then describe the self-modulation instability -a key to an early realization of the concept. This is then followed by the historical development of the experimental design, where the critical issues that arose and their solutions are described. We conclude with the design of the experiment as it is being realized at CERN and some words on the future outlook. A summary of the AWAKE design and construction status as presented in this conference is given in [1].

Abstract. New acceleration technology is mandatory for the future elucidation of fundamental particles and their interactions. A promising approach is to exploit the properties of plasmas. Past research has focused on creating large-amplitude plasma waves by injecting an intense laser pulse or an electron bunch into the plasma. However, the maximum energy gain of electrons accelerated in a single plasma stage is limited by the energy of the driver. Proton bunches are the most promising drivers of wakefields to accelerate electrons to the TeV energy scale in a single stage. An experimental program at CERN -the AWAKE experiment -has been launched to study in detail the important physical processes and to demonstrate the power of proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration. Here we review the physical principles and some experimental considerations for a future proton-driven plasma wakefield accelerator.

We present measurements of the transverse and longitudinal energy spread of photoelectrons emitted from a GaAsP photocathode as a function of its degradation state. The cathode was initially activated to a state of negative electron affinity in our photocathode preparation facility, achieving a quantum efficiency of 3% at a wavelength of 532 nm. It was then transferred under XHV conditions to our transverse energy spread spectrometer, where energy spread measurements were made while the photocathode was progressively degraded through a controlled exposure to oxygen. Data have been collected under photocathode illumination at 532 nm, and the changing photoelectron energy distribution associated with the changes in the level of electron affinity due to quantum efficiency degradation through an exposure to 0.25 L of oxygen has been demonstrated. Our experiments have shown that GaAsP boasts a significantly higher resilience to degradation under exposure to oxygen than a GaAs photocathode, though it does exhibit a higher level of mean transverse energy. Coupled with the favourable published data on GaAsP photoemission response times, we conclude that GaAsP is a viable candidate material as a particle accelerator electron source.

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