Search Results (5 total)

We report experimental observation of narrow-band coherent Cherenkov radiation driven by a subpicosecond electron bunch traveling along the axis of a hollow cylindrical dielectric-lined waveguide. For an appropriate choice of dielectric wall thickness, a short-pulse beam current profile excites only the fundamental mode of the structure, producing energetic pulses in the terahertz range. We present detailed measurements showing a narrow emission spectrum peaked at 367±3  GHz from a 1 cm long fused silica capillary tube with submillimeter transverse dimensions, closely matching predictions. We demonstrate a 100 GHz shift in the emitted central frequency when the tube wall thickness is changed by 50  μm. Calibrated measurements of the radiated energy indicate up to 10  μJ per 60 ps pulse for an incident beam charge of 200 pC, corresponding to a peak power of approximately 150 kW.

Microbunching of a relativistic electron beam into a helix is examined analytically and in simulation. Helical microbunching is shown to occur naturally when an e beam interacts resonantly at the harmonics of the combined field of a helical magnetic undulator and an axisymmetric input laser beam. This type of interaction is proposed as a method to generate a strongly prebunched e beam for coherent emission of light with orbital angular momentum at virtually any wavelength. The results from the linear microbunching theory show excellent agreement with three-dimensional numerical simulations.

First measurements of the breakdown threshold in a dielectric subjected to GV/m wakefields produced by short (30–330 fs), 28.5 GeV electron bunches have been made. Fused silica tubes of 100  μm inner diameter were exposed to a range of bunch lengths, allowing surface dielectric fields up to 27  GV/m to be generated. The onset of breakdown, detected through light emission from the tube ends, is observed to occur when the peak electric field at the dielectric surface reaches 13.8±0.7  GV/m. The correlation of structure damage to beam-induced breakdown is established using an array of postexposure inspection techniques.

We have developed a two-macroparticle bunch to explore the longitudinal beam dynamics through various components of the Fermilab/NICADD photoinjector. Such a two-macroparticle bunch is generated by splitting the ultraviolet pulse from the photocathode drive laser. The presented method allows the exploration of radio-frequency-induced compression in the 1.625 cell radio frequency gun and the booster cavity. It also allows a direct measurement of the momentum compaction of the magnetic bunch compressor. The measurements are compared with analytical and numerical models.

Various projects under study require an angular-momentum-dominated electron beam generated by a photoinjector. Some of the proposals directly use the angular-momentum-dominated beams (e.g., electron cooling of heavy ions), while others require the beam to be transformed into a flat beam (e.g., possible electron injectors for light sources and linear colliders). In this paper we report our experimental study of an angular-momentum-dominated beam produced in a photoinjector, addressing the dependencies of angular momentum on initial conditions. We also briefly discuss the removal of angular momentum. The results of the experiment, carried out at the Fermilab/NICADD Photoinjector Laboratory, are found to be in good agreement with theoretical and numerical models.