Advancements in Free-Electron Radiation Sources and Particle Accelerators

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About this Research Topic

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Background

Free-electron radiation sources refer to electromagnetic radiation sources which are driven by free-electron beams exhibiting relatively high kinetic energies, these are typically generated by particle accelerators. Examples of these include free-electron lasers (FELs) and electromagnetic radiation sources based on transition radiation, Cherenkov radiation, and diffraction radiation (Smith-Purcell radiation). When compared with traditional laser sources, free-electron light sources exhibit the advantages of high power and broad spectral coverage, particularly across the spectral regions that traditional laser sources are unable to access, such as the terahertz, ultraviolet, and X-ray regions. This novel characteristic has a broad number of applications across multiple fields. Although these radiation schemes have been subjected to extensive research for decades, recent discoveries in the field of physics have led to increasing attention in recent years.

Particle accelerators find broad applications in fundamental scientific research and cutting-edge technologies. The conventional particle accelerator using microwave technology has encountered difficulties of high cost and large equipment. New concepts of particle accelerators, such as laser-plasma wakefield accelerators, laser dielectric accelerators, and terahertz accelerators, have been proposed and demonstrated recently. These new accelerators can greatly increase the acceleration gradient and reduce the size of equipment, indicating promising options to develop compact particle accelerators for the next generation.

This Research Topic will provide a place to collate the latest research results, including theory, techniques, and applications with respect to the related topics.

The areas of interest include but are not limited to:
• free-electron driven coherent electromagnetic sources, including vacuum electron devices and free-electron lasers.
• electromagnetic pulse radiation driven by electron beam, including transition radiation, Cherenkov radiation, and diffraction radiation.
• accelerator on the chip, dielectric laser accelerator and acceleration structures.
• terahertz-driven accelerators, terahertz electron-guns, terahertz/microwave wakefield accelerators, other new guns and advanced particle acceleration concepts.
• electron bunch manipulation, laser free-electron beam modulation, ultrafast electron-beam generation.

Keywords: free-electron beam, electromagnetic radiation, light sources, laser-driven particle acceleration, laser free-electron beam interaction

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