Theory of relativistic-electron transition radiation in a thin metal target

An analysis is made of the transition radiation of a relativistic electron in a thin metal target in the infrared wavelength range. It is shown that in this case, the spatial transverse dimensions responsible for forming the radiation may have macroscopic dimensions comparable with the size of the target and allowance for this effect may lead to significant distortion of the transition-radiation spectrum compared with a target having infinitely large transverse dimensions.     

Production of polarized ions by photoionisation

The photoproduction of polarized ions is investigated theoretically. The alignment of photoions is expressed in terms of a possible initial atomic polarization, the polarization of the radiation and of reduced transition matrix elements. In particular it is shown that an ion alignment can result from unpolarized target atoms exposed to unpolarized light.     

Spectrum broadening effect in coherent x-ray radiation of a relativistic electron crossing a single-crystal plate

Based on the dynamic diffraction theory [1], coherent x-ray radiation of a relativistic electron crossing a single-crystal plate at a constant velocity is considered in the Bragg geometry. In the general case of asymmetric reflection of the radiation from the target, expressions are derived for the spectral-angular distribution of parametric x-ray radiation (PXR) and diffraction transition radiation (DTR). For a fixed angle between the electron trajectory and the system of parallel atomic planes of the crystal (Bragg’s angle) it is shown that a decrease in the angle of electron incidence on the crystal plate gives rise to a significant increase in the PXR and DTR spectra, and the causes for spectral broadening for each of these radiation mechanisms are different. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 74–83, March, 2009.     

Spatial coherence in transition radiation from short electron bunches

The characteristics of coherent transition radiation that is generated by a “disk-shaped” electron bunch inclined with respect to the direction of its propagation have been considered. It has been shown that the angular distribution of transition radiation becomes asymmetric because of spatial coherence. For angles of inclination much larger than the characteristic emission angle equal to the inverse Lorentz factor, the angular distribution for wavelengths comparable to the longitudinal size of the bunch has a single maximum. In this case, the maximum of the yield of coherent transition radiation coincides with the inclination angle of the bunch.     

On transition radiation

Summary A treatment of transition radiation between two dielectric media is presented which is based on the exact expressions for the fields of the particle in the two media. Expressions for the spectral distribution of the energy emitted forward and for that emitted backward are derived. The results are in accord with experimental findings for ultra-relativistic particles. In the asymptotic region the energy spectrum becomes discrete. It is indicated how the treatment can be extended to the case of a plate and to that of a wave guide, as well as to emission by a monopole. The case of the simultaneous emission of transition radiation and Čerenkov radiation is considered and the relationship between them is clarified. In particular, it is shown that, when the particle can emit Čerenkov radiation in the forward medium, it will also emit an interference signal. This is several orders of magnitude smaller than the usual transition radiation and is concentrated in the forward direction. It is also found that the Čerenkov wave emitted by the particle in the backward medium will be partially reflected and partially refracted into the forward medium, after the particle crosses the boundary between the two media. The linear energy density for the refracted wave is calculated and it is shown that under certain feasible conditions this is amenable to experimental verification. This work was done while the author was a summer visitor at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University. It was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, contract DE-AC03-76SF00515.     

Diffracted transition radiation of an ultra-high-energy relativistic electron beam in a thin single-crystal wafer

We consider diffracted transition radiation (DTR) emitted by high-energy relativistic electrons crossing a thin single-crystal wafer in the Laue geometry. The expression describing the DTR angular density is derived for the case where the electron path length in the target is much smaller than the X-ray wave extinction length in the crystal and the kinematic nature of this expression is demonstrated. It is shown that the DTR angular density in a thin target is proportional to the target thickness.     

On ionization energy losses of high-energy electron–positron pair in thin targets

The present Letter deals with consideration of high-energy electron–positron pair ionization losses in thin dielectric plate which it traverses after being emitted from substance where it is created. It is shown that in this case the Chudakov effect of reduction of pair energy losses takes place on much larger distance from its creation point than in the case of the pair motion in homogeneous infinite medium. It is demonstrated that due to transition radiation which appears during the pair emission from the substance the ratio of the pair energy losses in two plates situated on different distances from it is noticeably different from the case when the radiation is neglected.     

Observation of subterahertz monochromatic transition radiation from a grating

Transition radiation appearing when a charged particle crosses the interface between two media with different dielectric constants, e.g., a metal–vacuum interface, has been well studied in a wide spectral range. However, primarily, radiation from smooth interfaces has been studied. Transition radiation from conducting gratings (grating transition radiation) is experimentally studied and theoretically analyzed in this work. In this case, it is possible to obtain monochromatic radiation with a tunable frequency depending on the rotation angle of the grating with respect to the electron momentum. Coherent grating transition radiation can be efficiently used as a source of terahertz radiation based on the use of a compact electron accelerator with an energy below 10 MeV and a bunch duration of ≤1 ps.     

On the eikonal approximation in the theory of transition radiation

The transition radiation of relativistic electrons in nonuniform media is considered. Based on the equivalent photon method and the eikonal approximation in wave mechanics, a method for describing this process is proposed. For the case in which the permittivity depends on several coordinates, equations for the spectral-angular density of transition radiation are obtained. The main results obtained in the Born and eikonal approximations of the theory of transition radiation are compared. The equations obtained are used to analyze the transition radiation process for a fiberlike target.     

Electron energy losses by excitation of transition radiation

Inelastic scattering of KeV electrons in thin films with energy losses corresponding to the infrared spectral region is discussed taking retardation into account, that is allowing for radiative modes. For sufficiently thin target films Cerenkov radiation does not play any role. Rather it turned out even for nonrelativistic electrons, that in the spectral region of negligible absorption, where for example excitation of phonons or surface phonons does not occur, the energy loss spectrum is exclusively due to the creation of transition radiation. By means of high resolution spectroscopy of electrons inelastically scattered from TiO₂ films it is shown experimentally that this conclusion is indeed correct.     

On the transition radiation and bremsstrahlung from a relativistic electron with a nonequilibrium field

The problem of the transition radiation from an electron with a nonequilibrium self-field appearing in view of the sharp scattering of the electron has been considered. It has been shown that the state of the electron with the nonequilibrium field is manifested in the suppression of transition radiation and in the oscillatory dependence of its characteristics on the distance from a plate on which radiation occurs to the scattering point. The problem of the measurement of the characteristics of bremsstrahlung under the conditions when macroscopic transverse distances are responsible for the scattering process has been considered. It has been shown that the results of the measurement in this case significantly depend on the size of the detector and on its position with respect to the scattering point.     

超短脉冲激光辐照固体靶背向光发射的测量

利用光学CCD相机和OMA光学多道分析仪,分别在金属箔背表面法线方向测量了光发射的积分成像光谱和散射光光谱。积分成像光谱测量结果显示,光谱呈圆环状,在圆环边缘附近出现局部化明亮光信号确定为超热电子输运穿越固体靶引起的光学渡越辐射(OTR);散射光光谱测量结果显示,光谱在300～500 nm之间出现一系列非周期锐利尖峰,在400 nm(2ω)附近出现的尖峰归结于v×B加热机制产生的超热电子束中的聚束引起的相干渡越辐射(CTR)。渡越辐射光强随靶厚度的增加而减小。     

Features of transition and Cherenkov radiations and the correlation between them

It is shown that transition radiation arising at the boundary of two media is being emitted as a Cherenkov one, if the phase velocity of transition radiation waves in the medium of transition radiation propagation becomes equal to the velocity of the moving radiating particle (the necessary condition for the Cherenkov radiation). The proof of this statement is based on the analysis of the transition radiation formation zone, which may become large enough and provide interference between the field of transition radiation and the own Coulomb field of the moving particle, in case when the Cherenkov radiation condition is fulfilled. As a result, the transition radiation field transforms into the Cherenkov field. The problem is considered for cases of both a waveguide and free space.     

Coherent light generation from a Nd:SBN nonlinear laser crystal through its ferroelectric phase transition

In this Letter we have used the optical pump induced thermal loading to drive Nd(3+) a doped Sr(0,47)Ba(0.53)(Nb)(3))(2) laser crystal during laser operation through its ferroelectric phase transition. We demonstrate that lasing is possible below, at, and above phase transition. For temperatures close to (approximately 105 degrees C) the spatial distribution of laser radiation is remarkably affected. This feature, which leads to a laser gain depression, can be explained in terms of the strong temperature dependence of the thermo-optic coefficient during phase transition. Additionally, the visible radiation generated by intracavity self-frequency doubling disappears when the phase transition is undergone, showing a bistable behavior. The results provide fundamental information on physical parameters along the phase transition and will stimulate further work in the fields of nonlinear optics, optical switching, and data storage.     

Coherent X-ray diffraction radiation produced by microbunched beams passing close to the edge of a slab

With use of formulas for single-particle X-ray transition and diffraction radiation (XTR and XDR), we obtain expressions for spectral-angular distributions and total numbers of emitted quanta in coherent X-ray transition radiation (CXTR2) and coherent X-ray diffraction radiation (CXDR) arising when a microbunched beam of electrons, respectively, intersects the interfaces of a slab or flies at small distance from the edge of the slab. Comparison of obtained results with those known for CXTR from a single interface is performed. It is shown on the basis of numerical calculations that experimental study of CXDR is at present possible on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS, SLAC).     

Physical processes in a laser-greenhouse target: Experimental results, theoretical models, and numerical calculations

The paper is devoted to recent results concerning investigation of physical processes occurring in a “laser greenhouse” target. Results of experimental and theoretical studies of laser-pulse interaction with a low-density absorber of the target, namely, with a porous substance having density close to the plasma critical density, are presented. On the basis of a vast cycle of experiments carried out in a number of laboratories, it is shown that the absorption of the laser radiation in porous media, including those with a density exceeding the critical one by at least a factor of 4 to 6, has a bulk nature and is distributed over the target depth. In particular, the laser-radiation absorption region in a porous substance with density 10⁻³–10⁻² g/cm³ is extended into the target 400–100 μm, respectively. The coefficient of absorption of laser radiation with intensity 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ W/cm² in porous substances, including those of the supercritical density, is 70–90%. Experiments have not shown enhanced (compared to a solid-state target) radiation intensity associated with a possible development of parametric instabilities in an extended laser plasma of low-density porous media, as well as noticeable contribution of fast electrons to the energy balance and their effect on the energy transfer. In this paper, theoretical models are developed explaining features of the laser-radiation absorption and energy transfer in porous media. These models are based on the phenomenon of laser-radiation interaction with solid components of a porous substance and plasma production inside pores and cells of the medium. The efficiency of energy conversion in the vicinity of the ignition threshold for the laser-greenhouse target is investigated in the case of an absorber having the above properties. Numerical calculations have shown that a thermonuclear-gain coefficient of 1 to 2 (with respect to the energy absorbed) is attained for a laser-radiation energy of 100 kJ. Translated from Preprint No. 58 of the P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (1999).     

Interaction of a modulated electron beam with a magnetoactive plasma

Experimental results concerning the interaction of a modulated electron beam with a magnetoactive plasma in the whistler frequency range are reported. It was shown experimentally that when a beam is injected into the plasma, waves can be generated by two possible mechanisms: Cherenkov emission of whistlers by the modulated beam, and transition radiation from the beam injection point. In the case of weak beam currents (N _b/N ₀)≪⁻⁴) the Cherenkov resonance radiation is more than an order of magnitude stronger than the transition radiation; the Cherenkov emission efficiency decreases at high beam currents. The transformation of the distribution function of the beam is investigated for the case of weak beam currents. It is shown that in the case of the Cherenkov interaction with whistlers the beam is retarded and the beam distribution function becomes wider and acquires a plateau region. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 6, 378–382 (25 March 1998)     

Transition radiation of elastic waves at the interface of two elastic half-planes

Radiation of elastic waves is studied that is emitted by a point load that crosses the interface of two elastic half-planes. It is assumed that the load has a constant magnitude, moves along a straight line normal to the interface, and has a constant speed that is smaller than the minimum shear wave speed in the half-planes. In this case the mechanism of excitation of elastic waves is conventionally referred to as transition radiation. The adopted model allows to obtain an analytical expression for the elastic field excited by the load in the frequency-wavenumber domain. Using this expression, the energy of transition radiation is derived in a closed form. It is shown that transition radiation of the body waves occurs at any non-zero velocity of the load. Additionally, transition radiation of interface waves may occur provided that parameters of the half-planes allow existence of Stoneley waves. A parametric analysis of the directivity diagram of radiated body waves is accomplished focusing on dependence of the diagram on the load speed, load direction, and parameters of the half-planes. Using parameters that allow radiation of interface waves, the energy of this radiation is compared to that of the body waves. It is shown that the energy of the interface waves is greater unless the load velocity is close to the lowest body wave velocity.