RESUMEN
The optimal performance of high-brightness free-electron lasers (FELs) is limited by the microbunching instability, which can cause variations in both the slice energy spread and longitudinal profile of electron beams. In this paper, we perform 2D Fourier analysis of the full bunch longitudinal phase space, such that modulations in both planes can be studied simultaneously. Unlike the standard 1D analysis, this method is able to reveal modulations in a folded phase space, which would otherwise remain uncovered. Additionally, the plasma oscillation between energy and density modulations is also revealed by this method. The damping of the microbunching instability, through the use of a laser heater, is also analysed with this technique. We confirm a mitigation of the amplitude of modulation and a red-shift of the microbunching frequency as the energy spread added increases. As an outcome of this work, a systematic experimental comparison of the development of the instability in the presence of different compression schemes is here presented for the first time.
RESUMEN
We theoretically show that a single free electron in circular motion radiates an electromagnetic wave possessing helical phase structure, which is closely related to orbital angular momentum carried by it. We experimentally demonstrate it by interference and double-slit diffraction experiments on radiation from relativistic electrons in spiral motion. Our results indicate that photons carrying orbital angular momentum should be created naturally by cyclotron/synchrotron radiations or Compton scatterings in various situations in cosmic space. We propose promising laboratory vortex photon sources in various wavelengths ranging from radio wave to gamma-rays.
