Unipolar Cherenkov and Diffraction Radiation of Relativistic Electrons

Abstract

For usual radiation the integral of the electric field strength over the time is zero. First time the possibility of unipolar radiation generation has been considered theoretically in the paper [EG.Bessonov. Preprint No 76 of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Academy of Science of the USSR, Moscow, 1990]. According to this work the unipolar radiation is radiation for which the integral of the electric field strength over the time differs significantly from zero. Futher a number of theoretical articles have been devoted to this problem mainly in respect to a synchrotron radiation. However up to now there are no experimental investigations of this phenomenon. In this paper we present the results of experimental observation of the unipolar Cherenkov and diffraction radiation generated by relativistic electrons in millimeter wavelength region. For this purpose the detector sensitive to the selected direction of the electric field strength has been elaborated. We observed the coherent Cherenkov radiation and backward diffraction radiation of bunched electron beam when the electrons moving near the targets. The partial unipolarity effect has been registered for the Cherenkov radiation and the almost full unipolarity has been observed for the backward diffraction radiation.