Basic features of coherent radiation generated by relativistic charge bunches

Abstract

Radiation generated by relativistic charges can be analyzed and described in exquisite detail. One reason that such detailed analysis is possible is because the phases of radiated photons often are determined completely by the initial conditions of the relativistic charges and the radiating system. The phase relationships between the initial charges and the radiated photons represent coherence in the emitted radiation. A previous paper decribed how this coherence could affect the spatial and spectral distributions of radiation generated by a single charge in a periodic radiator. The present paper discusses a complementary issue; namely, how the temporal shape of a relativistic charge bunch can emphasize specific features of the radiation generated at a single interaction site.