2022/07/26 by D. Cesar, A. Acharya, Cesar, D. +17
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph) #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Gyrotron and Vacuum Electronics Research #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Particle Accelerators and Free-Electron Lasers
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2207.13215
openalex publication_date 2022/07/26 · openalex created_date 2022/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this article, we illustrate how the Coulomb field of a highly relativistic electron beam can be shaped into a broadband pulse suitable for driving ultrafast and strong-field physics. In contrast to a solid-state laser, the Coulomb field creates a pulse which can be intrinsically synchronized with an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL), can have a cutoff frequency which is broadly tunable from THz to EUV, and which acts on target systems as a "half-cycle" impulse. Explicit examples are presented to emphasize how the unique features of this excitation can be a tool for novel science at XFEL facilities like the LCLS.