Cyclotron superradiance of a high-current electron bunch under group synchronism conditions

We have theoretically and experimentally investigated the process of induced coherent emission (superradiance) in an electron bunch rotating in a homogeneous magnetic field. We have shown that this process makes it possible to generate ultrashort microwave pulses. In this case, the optimum conditions are found under group synchronism conditions, when the translational velocity of the bunch matches the group velocity of the radiation propagating in the waveguide circuit. For experimental investigation of the superradiance, we used a RADAN accelerator with subnanosecond electron pulse sharpener. In the 35 GHz range, we obtained microwave pulses with record short duration, down to 0.4 nsec for a peak power level up to 200 kW. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 89–97, December, 1996.     

The generation of superradiance pulses by high-current subnanosecond electron bunches moving in a periodic slow-wave system: Theory and experiment

Cherenkov superradiance observed when an electron bunch rectilinearly moves through a slow-wave periodic system is studied theoretically and experimentally. The simulation based on averaged equations and the direct numerical simulation using the PIC-code KARAT show that the peak power of the microwave pulses varies as the total number of the particles in a bunch squared. This finding is confirmed experimentally. Ultrashort (300 ps wide) high-power (up to 140 MW) pulses are generated at a frequency of 39 GHz. As an electron source, the high-current subnanosecond RADAN-303 accelerator is used. It injects 0.5-to 1.5-ns-wide electron bunches of current up to 2 kA and energy 200–300 keV. The simulation suggests that the power of the electromagnetic pulses can be increased further (up to 300 or 400 MW) by optimizing the accelerating voltage pulse shape.     

低引导磁场下相对论亚纳秒电子束毫米波返波振荡器的粒子模拟

提出了一种Ka波段的相对论亚纳秒电子束毫米波慢波结构,在较低引导磁场情况下,运用粒子模拟(PIC)方法成功地模拟出器件中波束互作用的非线性物理演化过程,得到了一种超辐射状态下的微波辐射,它的产生与波相对于电子束滑移引起的电子束内电子间相互作用有关,辐射微波的峰值功率与电子束总电荷的平方成正比.粒子模拟有利于对超辐射这种束波互作用非线性物理现象的理解,并且对器件的设计有一定的参考价值.     

Theory of cyclotron superradiance from a moving electron bunch under group synchronism conditions

A theory is presented of cyclotron superradiance from an electron bunch rotating in a uniform magnetic field and drifting at a velocity close to the group velocity of a wave propagating in a waveguide. It is shown that, in a comoving frame of reference, the bunch emits radiation at a frequency close to the cutoff frequency of the waveguide. Superradiance implies the azimuthal self-bunching of electrons, which is accompanied by coherent emission of the stored rotational energy in a short electromagnetic pulse. Linear and nonlinear stages of the process are analyzed. The growth rate of the superradiance instability is determined. It is shown that the maximum growth rate is attained under group synchronism conditions. The peak power and the characteristic duration of the cyclotron superradiance pulse are determined by numerical simulation. The characteristic features of the superradiance pulses are described in the comoving and laboratory frames. The results of theoretical analysis are compared with experimental data.     

Acceleration of nonmonoenergetic electron bunches injected into a wake wave

The trapping and acceleration of nonmonoenergetic electron bunches in a wake field wave excited by a laser pulse in a plasma channel is studied. Electrons are injected into the region of the wake wave potential maximum at a velocity lower than the phase velocity of the wave. The paper analyzes the grouping of bunch electrons in the energy space emerging in the course of acceleration under certain conditions of their injection into the wake wave and minimizing the energy spread for such electrons. The factors determining the minimal energy spread between bunch electrons are analyzed. The possibility of monoenergetic acceleration of electron bunches generated by modern injectors in a wake wave is analyzed.     

Generation of powerful subnanosecond microwave pulses by intense electron bunches moving in a periodic backward wave structure in the superradiative regime

Experimental results of the observation of coherent stimulated radiation from subnanosecond electron bunches moving through a periodic waveguide and interacting with a backward propagating wave are presented. The subnanosecond microwave pulses in Ka and W bands were generated with repetition frequencies of up to 25 Hz. The mechanism of microwave pulse generation was associated with self-bunching, and the mutual influence of different parts of the electron pulse due to slippage of the wave with respect to the electrons; this can be interpreted as superradiance. The illumination of a panel of neon bulbs resulted in a finely structured pattern corresponding to the excitation of the TM01 mode. Observation of rf breakdown of ambient air, as well as direct measurements by hot-carrier germanium detectors, leads to an estimate of the absolute peak power as high as 60 MW for the 300-ps pulses at 38 GHz. These results are compared with numerical simulations. The initial observation of 75-GHz, 10-15-MW radiation pulses with a duration of less than 150 ps is also reported.     

Generation of high-power ultrashort electromagnetic pulses on the basis of effects of superradiance of electron bunches

One of the promising methods for generation of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses (with duration of about ten periods of high-frequency oscillations) is radiation from spatially localized electron ensembles (bunches), which can be considered a classical analog of Dicke superradiance known in quantum electronics. In classical electronics, superradiance can be related to various mechanisms of stimulated radiation. Until now, cyclotron, undulator, and ?erenkov (in the case of interaction with both copropagating and counterpropagating waves) superradiance of electron bunches as well as superradiance during stimulated scattering of a pump wave have been studied theoretically and experimentally. As a result of these studies based on high-current RADAN and SINUS accelerators and their modifications, a new class of oscillators producing pulsed electromagnetic radiation has been created. They have such unique characteristics as pulses of high peak power (up to 1 GW and 3 GW in the millimeter-and centimeter-wave ranges, respectively) and ultrashort duration (from 300 ps to 1 ns, respectively). In this case, regimes with a peak radiation power exceeding the electron-beam power are experimentally realized. Regimes with high (kilohertz) pulse repetition rate and high average power (up to 2.5 kW) are obtained.     

Generation of subnanosecond microwave pulses based on the Cherenkov superradiance effect

Experimentally observed Cherenkov superradiance produced by a subnanosecond electron bunch traveling through a partially filled waveguide is reported. 400-ps microwave pulses with a peak power of 2 MW are obtained. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis and numerical simulations performed with the help of the PIC code KARAT.     

Observation of frequency-locked coherent terahertz Smith-Purcell radiation

We report the observation of enhanced coherent Smith-Purcell radiation (SPR) at terahertz (THz) frequencies from a train of picosecond bunches of 15 MeV electrons passing above a grating. SPR is more intense than other sources, such as transition radiation, by a factor of Ng, the number of grating periods. For electron bunches that are short compared with the radiation wavelength, coherent emission occurs, enhanced by a factor of Ne, the number of electrons in the bunch. The electron beam consists of a train of Nb bunches, giving an energy density spectrum restricted to harmonics of the 17 GHz bunch train frequency, with an increased energy density at these frequencies by a factor of Nb. We report the first observation of SPR displaying all three of these enhancements, NgNeNb. This powerful SPR THz radiation can be detected with a high signal to noise ratio by a heterodyne receiver.     

Attosecond electron bunches

Electron bunches of attosecond duration may coherently interact with laser beams. We show how p-polarized ultraintense laser pulses interacting with sharp boundaries of overdense plasmas can produce such bunches. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate attosecond bunch generation during pulse propagation through a thin channel or in the course of grazing incidence on a plasma layer. In the plasma, due to the self-intersection of electron trajectories, electron concentration is abruptly peaked. A group of counterstream electrons is pushed away from the plasma through nulls in the electromagnetic field, having inherited a peaked electron density distribution and forming relativistic ultrashort bunches in vacuum.     

BEPCⅡ正电子环真空度随流强的非线性变化

 观察发现负电子环的真空度随流强呈线性变化,正电子环的真空度随流强呈非线性变化,在正电子环的弧区,真空度的非线性变化很明显。讨论了非线性变化的原因,可能是同步光电子在正电子束流横向作用下加速碰壁,发生了二次电子发射,并在一定条件下形成了束流引起的多次碰壁效应,造成了大量放气。改变正电子束流的束团填充方式来观察真空度的非线性变化,得到了与KEK-B低能环一致的实验结果,该非线性变化呈现一定的阈值性,发生非线性的条件是有足够大的单束团流强和每列足够多的连续束团。     

Controlled collective acceleration of electron-ion bunches

The fundamental possibility of a new method for controlled collective ion acceleration by electron bunches of high-current relativistic picosecond beams has been proved. Dense relativistically rotating electron bunches are formed using a cusp magnetic system by their capture in a special magnetic trap. An electron bunch is filled with ions when it interacts with a preliminarily prepared plasma bunch with a certain density. Then, the effective potential well of the magnetic trap is stepwise shifted synchronously with the motion of ions by means of a system of turns with controlled currents. This ensures the displacement and confinement of electrons in the direction of acceleration. The shift of the center of the well at each step is chosen such that ions are in the region of acceleration by a high self electric field of the electron bunch. In contrast to the known methods for collective acceleration, the proposed method makes it possible to avoid the mismatch of the electron and ion components of bunches, disruption of the acceleration of ions, and development of numerous instabilities, because the duration of the acceleration cycle is in the nanosecond range.     

Generation of short electron bunches by a laser pulse crossing a sharp boundary of inhomogeneous plasma

The formation of short electron bunches during the passage of a laser pulse of relativistic intensity through a sharp boundary of semi-bounded plasma has been analytically studied. It is shown in one-dimensional geometry that one physical mechanism that is responsible for the generation of electron bunches is their self-injection into the wake field of a laser pulse, which occurs due to the mixing of electrons during the action of the laser pulse on plasma. Simple analytic relationships are obtained that can be used for estimating the length and charge of an electron bunch and the spread of electron energies in the bunch. The results of the analytical investigation are confirmed by data from numerical simulations.     

Femtosecond X-ray generation through relativistic electron beam–laser interaction

Methods for generating ultra-short X-rays using the interaction of intense laser pulses with relativistic electron beams, and their application to measuring ultra-fast phenomena in solid state materials, are reviewed. Two different methods that use a long electron bunch and short laser pulse are discussed: Thomson scattering and optical slicing which have been implemented on linac and storage ring beams, respectively. The possibility of generating ultrashort electrons bunches from laser-plasma injectors is discussed.     

Ponderomotive effects in intense pumping wave action on electron and plasma bunches

Ponderomotive effects that arise when an intense plane pumping wave acts on low-concentration electron and plasma bunches are theoretically studied within the framework of a one-dimensional model. Using the Lagrange variables, an electron (plasma) bunch under the action of a pumping field can be represented as a gas comprising macroparticles with ponderomotive and Coulomb interactions. The ponderomotive force at small interparticle distances is attractive, that is, directed oppositely to the Coulomb force; it cannot, however, completely balance the latter. The constructed model is used to study superradiance, which arises when an intense pumping wave acts on an extended electron bunch. Radiation is then scattered in the form of narrow pulses whose amplitude is proportional to the total number of particles in the bunch. In addition, we describe acceleration of a neutral plasma layer, narrow on the wavelength scale, in the field of an intense wave and radiation field-induced partial contraction of an electron bunch with an incompletely compensated charge.     

Generation of electron nanobunches and short-wavelength radiation upon reflection of a relativistic-intensity laser pulse from a finite-size target

We have proposed an efficient scheme of generation of short dense electron bunches during the interaction at large angles of incidence of a laser pulse with a thin transversally semibounded laser target. Streams of bunches can be used to simultaneously and independently generate pulsed X-ray radiation as fast electrons hit secondary targets. Dependences of bunch parameters (the number of particles in the bunch and the bunch energy and thickness) on the angle of incidence and laser intensity have been obtained. It has been shown that, upon reflection from the target, the relativistic-intensity laser wave is efficiently converted (the energy-conversion factor reaches ～20%) into a sequence of electromagnetic tens-of-nanometer-long atto pulses, which follow one after another in the period of the initial laser wave. We have investigated how the parameters of the atto pulse depend on the angle of incidence and the laser intensity. We have shown that atto pulses are generated most efficiently at large angles of incidence (≥50°) of the laser pulse on the target.     

Experimental observation of cyclotron superradiance

Intense (several hundreds of kilowatts) subnanosecond coherent microwave radiation — cyclotron superradiance of an electron swarm moving in a uniform magnetic field — was recorded. The maximum power of the radiation was observed under group synchronization conditions, when the translational velocity of the swarm is equal to the group velocity of the waves in the waveguide channel. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 5, 322–325 (10 March 1996)     

双束平行入射电子束引导的自注入电子加速效果的研究

在粒子束引导的等离子尾波场加速机制中,为了加速电子获得最大能量,大量研究集中于改变单束牵引粒子束的线度、形状、电荷性质等参数. 综合考虑已有的实验结果,本文提出了一种相比于单束电子牵引更为有效的加速方式,利用双束平行电子束来加速自注入的电子. 通过2.5维粒子程序模拟,发现在牵引电子束具有相同能量、电量、尺寸的条件下,通过双束平行电子束加速得到的电子具有长程加速、高能和准单能性的特性. 同时在空泡内形成了一束独特的回流电子,进一步使得自注入电子具有更好的准直性. 关键词： 电子束尾波场加速 双束平行电子束 粒子模拟     

Transverse dynamics and bunch-to-bunch energy exchange in a dielectric-filled accelerating structure

The self-consistent transverse dynamics of high-current relativistic electron bunches used for generating wakefields in multiple-bunch schemes of wakefield acceleration, which are applied in dielectric-filled structures, is studied. The flight range of the electron bunch under no-focusing conditions and the energy transferred to the bunch being accelerated in schemes with profiled (nonuniform) and uniform distributions of the charge over a sequence of generator bunches are determined. Requirements are formulated for a focusing system in which the profiled distribution offers an advantage over the uniform distribution for the efficiency of energy transfer from generator bunches to that being accelerated.     

Trapping and Acceleration of Electron Bunches Generated by a Laser Pulse Moving through the Sharp Plasma Boundary

The formation and acceleration of electron bunches resulting from the self-injection of electrons into the wake wave from the laser pulse moving through a sharp plasma boundary are investigated in one-dimensional geometry. It is shown that electron trapping in the accelerating wakefield is governed by the electron energy and has a threshold character. The acceleration of the trapped bunch is numerically simulated.