Journal Article

THz-driven zero-slippage IFEL scheme for phase space manipulation

Fabbri, S, Musumeci, P, Curry, E, Gover, A

2016

Overview

We describe an inverse free electron laser (IFEL) interaction driven by a near single-cycle THz pulse that is group velocity-matched to an electron bunch inside a waveguide, allowing for a sustained interaction in a magnetic undulator. We discuss the application of this guided-THz IFEL technique for compression of a relativistic electron bunch and synchronization with the external laser pulse used to generate the THz pulse via optical rectification, as well as a laser-driven THz streaking diagnostic with the potential for femtosecond scale temporal resolution. Initial measurements of the THz waveform via an electro-optic sampling based technique confirm the predicted reduction of the group velocity, using a curved parallel plate waveguide, as a function of the varying aperture size of the guide. We also present the design of a proof-of-principle experiment based on the bunch parameters available at the UCLA PEGASUS laboratory. With a \\(10\\,\\mathrm{MV}\\,{{\\rm{m}}}^{-1}\\) THz peak field, our simulation model predicts compression of a \\(6\\,\\mathrm{MeV}\\) \\(100\\,\\mathrm{fs}\\) electron beam by nearly an order of magnitude and a significant reduction of its initial timing jitter.

• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Subject: Apertures / Computer simulation / CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY / Diagnostic systems / electron beam compression / electron beam manipulation / Electron beams / Femtosecond pulses / Free electron lasers / Group velocity / inverse free electron laser / Lasers / Parallel plates / Physics / Reduction / streaking diagnostic / submillimeter wave instrumentation / Synchronism / Temporal resolution / THz waveguide / Timing jitter / Vibration / Waveforms