Acceleration of relativistic beams using laser-generated terahertz pulses

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Hibberd, Morgan T, Healy, Alisa L, Lake, Daniel S, Georgiadis, Vasileios, Smith, Elliott J H, Finlay, Oliver J, Pacey, Thomas H, Jones, James K, Saveliev, Yuri, Walsh, David A, Snedden, Edward W, Appleby, Robert B, Burt, Graeme, Graham, Darren M, Jamison, Steven P
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 12.08.2019
• Subjects: Electric fields; Electron diffraction; Electrons; Laser beams; Longitude; Narrowband; Particle acceleration; Particle accelerators; Physics - Accelerator Physics; Relativism; Relativistic effects; Relativistic electron beams
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1908.04055

Dielectric structures driven by laser-generated terahertz (THz) pulses may hold the key to overcoming the technological limitations of conventional particle accelerators and with recent experimental demonstrations of acceleration, compression and streaking of low-energy (sub-100 keV) electron beams, operation at relativistic beam energies is now essential to realize the full potential of THz-driven structures. We present the first THz-driven linear acceleration of relativistic 35 MeV electron bunches, exploiting the collinear excitation of a dielectric-lined waveguide driven by the longitudinal electric field component of polarization-tailored, narrowband THz pulses. Our results pave the way to unprecedented control over relativistic electron beams, providing bunch compression for ultrafast electron diffraction, energy manipulation for bunch diagnostics, and ultimately delivering high-field gradients for compact THz-driven particle acceleration.