CPT

Calendar of Physics Talks Vienna

Laser control of relativistic electron beams
Speaker:Jeremy Axelrod (UC Berkeley)
Abstract:The interaction between a non-relativistic charged particle and a free-space electromagnetic wave can be described by the ponderomotive potential. Although ponderomotive electron-laser interactions at relativistic velocities are important for emerging technologies from laser-based particle accelerators to laser-enhanced electron microscopy, the effects of special relativity on the interaction have only been studied theoretically. We use a transmission electron microscope (beam energy ≤ 300 keV) to measure the position-dependent phase shift imparted to a relativistic electron wave function when it traverses a standing laser wave (continuous-wave intensity = 175 GW/cm2). In contrast to the non-relativistic case, we demonstrate that the phase shift depends on both the electron velocity and the wave polarization. Remarkably, if the electron's speed is greater than 1/√2 of the speed of light,
Date: Fri, 21.02.2020
Time: 15:30
Duration: 45 min
Location:Hörsaal ATI TU Wien
Contact:Philipp Haslinger