Measurement of far-infrared subpicosecond coherent radiation for pulse radiolysis

Using a magnetic bunch compression method, a 26.5 MeV subpicosecond electron single bunch was generated with the L-band linac of Osaka University. The coherent transition radiation emitted from the subpicosecond single bunch was observed at wavelengths from 100 to 700 mu m. The intensity was 7.9 x 10(9) times higher than that of the incoherent transition radiation obtained by calculation. The length of the compressed electron bunch was evaluated to be roughly 50 fs (rms) from the analysis of the spectra of the transition radiation. The coherent transition radiation has high enough intensity to be applied to pulse radiolysis as a pulsed light source. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.