Gwyn P. Williams

High-power terahertz radiation from relativistic electrons

Terahertz (THz) radiation, which lies in the far-infrared region, is at the interface of electronics and photonics. Narrow-band THz radiation can be produced by free-electron lasers and fast diodes. Broadband THz radiation can be produced by thermal sources and, more recently, by table-top laser-driven sources and by short electron bunches in accelerators, but so far only with low power. Here we report calculations and measurements that confirm the production of high-power broadband THz radiation from subpicosecond electron bunches in an accelerator. The average power is nearly 20u2009watts, several orders of magnitude higher than any existing source, which could enable various new applications. In particular, many materials have distinct absorptive and dispersive properties in this spectral range, so that THz imaging could reveal interesting features. For example, it would be possible to image the distribution of specific proteins or water in tissue, or buried metal layers in semiconductors; the present source would allow full-field, real-time capture of such images. High peak and average power THz sources are also critical in driving new nonlinear phenomena and for pump–probe studies of dynamical properties of materials.

Filling the THz gap—high power sources and applications

Electromagnetic waves centred at a frequency of 1 THz lie between photonics on the one hand and electronics on the other, and are very hard to generate and detect. However, since the THz part of the spectrum is energetically equivalent to many important physical, chemical and biological processes including superconducting gaps and protein dynamical processes, it is of great interest to facilitate experimental research in this region. This has stimulated major steps in the past decade for filling this gap in the usable spectrum. In this review paper we describe the evolution of a new generation of sources that boost the average power available in the THz region by more than a million-fold, making this region routinely accessible for the first time. This is achieved using two enhancement factors, namely relativistic electrons and super-radiance. We will also point to the scientific potential for discovery that is now enabled in this region.

Production of high power femtosecond terahertz radiation

The terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum is attracting interest for a broad range of applications ranging from diagnosing electron beams to biological imaging. Most sources of short pulse THz radiation utilize excitation of biased semiconductors or electro-optic crystals by high peak power lasers. For example, this was done by using an un-doped InAs wafer irradiated by a femtosecond free-electron laser (FEL) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Microwatt levels of THz radiation were detected when excited with FEL pulses at 1.06 mm wavelength and 10W average power. Recently substantially higher powers of femtosecond THz pulses produced by synchrotron emission were extracted from the electron beamline. Calculations and measurements confirm the production of coherent broadband THz radiation from relativistic electrons with an average power of nearly 20W, a world record in this wavelength range by a factor of 10,000. We describe the source, presenting theoretical calculations and their experimental verification. Potential applications of this exciting new source include driving new non-linear phenomena, performing pump-probe studies of dynamical properties of novel materials, and studying molecular vibrations and rotations, low frequency protein motions, phonons, superconductor band gaps, electronic scattering, collective electronic excitations (e.g., charge density waves), and spintronics.

Selective photothermolysis to target sebaceous glands: Theoretical estimation of parameters and preliminary results using a free electron laser†

The success of permanent laser hair removal suggests that selective photothermolysis (SP) of sebaceous glands, another part of hair follicles, may also have merit. About 30% of sebum consists of fats with copious CH2 bond content. SP was studied in vitro, using free electron laser (FEL) pulses at an infrared CH2 vibrational absorption wavelength band.

High power operation of the JLab IR FEL driver accelerator

Operation of the JLab IR Upgrade FEL at CW powers in excess of 10 kW requires sustained production of high electron beam powers by the driver ERL. This in turn demands attention to numerous issues and effects, including: cathode lifetime; control of beamline and RF system vacuum during high current operation; longitudinal space charge; longitudinal and transverse matching of irregular/large volume phase space distributions; halo management; management of remnant dispersive effects; resistive wall, wake-field, and RF heating of beam vacuum chambers; the beam break up instability; the impact of coherent synchrotron radiation (both on beam quality and the performance of laser optics); magnetic component stability and reproducibility; and RF stability and reproducibility. We discuss our experience with these issues and describe the modus vivendi that has evolved during prolonged high current, high power beam and laser operation.

Selective photothermolysis to target sebaceous glands

The success of permanent laser hair removal suggests that selective photothermolysis (SP) of sebaceous glands, another part of hair follicles, may also have merit. About 30% of sebum consists of fats with copious CH2 bond content. SP was studied in vitro, using free electron laser (FEL) pulses at an infrared CH2 vibrational absorption wavelength band.

Near field x-ray lithography simulations for printing fine bridges

By using the near field in proximity x-ray lithography (PXL), a technique is demonstrated that extends beyond a resolution of 25 nm print feature size for dense lines. ‘Demagnification by bias’ of clear mask features is positively used in Fresnel diffraction together with multiple exposures of sharp peaks. Exposures are performed without lenses or mirrors between the mask and wafer, and ‘demagnification’ is achieved in a selectable range, 1×–9×. The pitch is kept small by multiple stepped exposures of sharp, intense image peaks followed by single development. Low pitch nested lines are demonstrated. The optical field is kept compact at the mask. Since the mask–wafer gap scales as the square of the mask feature size, the mask feature sizes and mask–wafer gaps are comparatively large. Because the features are themselves larger, the masks are more easily manufactured. Meanwhile, exposure times for development levels high on sharp peaks are short, and there are further benefits including defect reduction, virtual elimination of sidebands, etc. A critical condition (CC) has been identified that is typically used for the highest resolution. Many devices, including batches of microprocessors, have been demonstrated previously by traditional 1× PXL, which is the only next generation lithography developed and which is now further extended. For two-dimensional near field patterning, temporal and spatial incoherence at the CC have been used to show not only that peculiarities in the aerial pattern, such as ‘ripple’ and ‘bright spots’, can be virtually eliminated but also that there is an optimum demagnification, around 3×, in the Fresnel diffraction, where the contrast and, therefore, critical dimension control are highest. In the simulation of a bridge pattern, ‘ripple’ is likewise controlled. Blur and run-out are compared for various sources. Magnification corrections can be applied by various means. Extension to 15 nm printed features is predicted.

Very High Power THz Radiation Sources.

We report the production of high power (20watts average, ∼ 1 Megawatt peak) broadbandTHz light based on coherent emission fromrelativistic electrons. Such sources areideal for imaging, for high power damagestudies and for studies of non-linearphenomena in this spectral range. Wedescribe the source, presenting theoreticalcalculations and their experimentalverification. For clarity we compare thissource with one based on ultrafast lasertechniques.

DC High Voltage Conditioning of Photoemission Guns at Jefferson Lab FEL

DC high voltage photoemission electron guns with GaAs photocathodes have been used to produce polarized electron beams for nuclear physics experiments for about 3 decades with great success. In the late 1990s, Jefferson Lab adopted this gun technology for a free electron laser (FEL), but to assist with high bunch charge operation, considerably higher bias voltage is required compared to the photoguns used at the Jefferson Lab Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility. The FEL gun has been conditioned above 400 kV several times, albeit encountering non‐trivial challenges with ceramic insulators and field emission from electrodes. Recently, high voltage processing with krypton gas was employed to process very stubborn field emitters. This work presents a summary of the high voltage techniques used to high voltage condition the Jefferson Lab FEL photoemission gun.

IR investigations of surfaces and adsorbates

Synchrotron infrared reflection-absorption measurements on single crystal metal surfaces with adsorbates have led to the determination of many key parameters related to the bonding vibrational modes and the dynamics of adsorbates. In particular, energy couplings between electrons and adsorbate motion have been shown to be a dominant mechanism on metal surfaces. Excellent agreement has been obtained with calculations for many of the observations, and the synergy between theory and experiment has led to a deeper understanding of the roles of electrons and phonons in determining the properties of interfaces and their roles in phenomena as diverse as friction, lubrication, catalysis and adhesion. Nonetheless, as the experiments are pushed harder, to describe such effects as co-adsorbed systems, disagreements continue to challenge the theory and our comprehension also is still evolving.