Generation of ultrashort pulses in the THz frequency range

Abstract

There are results for the spontaneous coherent super-radiative undulator emission in the terahertz frequency range from a short (as compared to the wavelength of the radiated wave) dense electron bunch. If the group velocity of the wave is close to the bunch velocity, this is a process of spontaneous radiation followed by amplification of a single wave cycle. Despite the Coulomb repulsion of electrons inside the bunch, its compactness is provided by the compression of the bunch under the action of its own radiation fields. As a result, formation of an ultra-short (several cycles long) powerful wave packet occurs when the bunch moves through several undulator periods with high (∼20% in optimized systems) efficiency of extraction of the electron energy and high intensity (∼ 100 MV/m) of the peak wave field.