Electron gun for diffraction experiments off controlled molecules

A dc electron gun, generating picosecond pulses with up to $8\times10^{6}$ electrons per pulse, was developed. Its applicability for future time-resolved-diffraction experiments on state- and conformer-selected laser-aligned or oriented gaseous samples was characterized. The focusing electrodes were arranged in a velocity-map imaging spectrometer configuration. This allowed to directly measure the spatial and velocity distributions of the electron pulses emitted from the cathode. The coherence length and pulse duration of the electron beam were characterized by these measurements combined with electron trajectory simulations. Electron diffraction data off a thin aluminum foil illustrated the coherence and resolution of the electron-gun setup.