Electro-optical Detection of Charged Particles

The electric field of charged particles can induce transient changes in the polarization of light that produce sub-picosecond modulation of a laser beam. This is a consequence of the electro-optical effect in which the presence of the electric field in an electro-optical medium produces a change in the index of refraction of the medium resulting in a phase retardation between polarization components parallel and perpendicular to the electric field. We have observed the electro-optical effect due to 10 picosecond electron beam bunches with rise times that were limited by the bandwidth of our data acquisition system. This technology is being applied to particle beam diagnostics and has the potential to produce charged particle detectors combining excellent spatial resolution with unprecedented temporal precision.