Development of a THz-powered accelerator for compact electron and X-ray light sources

by Nicholas Matlis (DESY)

Monday 16 Jan 2023, 16:00 → 17:00 Europe/Zurich

WBGB/019 (Paul Scherrer Institut)

Despite the growing number of X-ray free-electron-laser light sources (XFELs) becoming operational around the globe, the accessibility to these unique and powerful scientific instruments is highly limited. The emergence of a novel electron accelerator technology driven by terahertz-frequency electromagnetic radiation has opened new possibilities for construction of low cost alternatives to XFELs with unique capabilities. A salient benefit of the THz technology is the accessibility to high field strengths and field gradients that allow not only shorter acceleration distances but also strong-field manipulations of the electron beams that can be used for a suite of accelerator-related applications, from streaking and compressing to steering and focusing. This talk will review pioneering work by our group in demonstrating these ingredients and the viability of THz-driven technology as well as progress in construction of a cutting-edge facility for THz-accelerator development and a first prototype machine.

For details, contact Rasmus Ischebeck

2023_0116_Status of THz-Driven Accelerator Development for AXSIS_final_redacted_reduced (002).pdf