Diffraction radiation diagnostics for moderate to high energy charged particle beams

Abstract Diffraction radiation (DR) is produced when a charged particle passes through an aperture or near a discontinuity in the media in which it is traveling. DR is closely related to transition radiation (TR), which is produced when a charged particle traverses the boundary between media with different dielectric constants. In contrast to TR, which is now extensively used for beam diagnostic purposes, the potential of DR as a non-interceptive, multi-parameter beam diagnostic remains largely undeveloped. For diagnostic measurements it is useful to observe backward reflected DR from a circular aperture or slit inclined with respect to the beam velocity. However, up to now, well-founded equations for the spectral-angular intensities of backward DR from such apertures have not been available. We present a new derivation of the spectral-angular intensity of backward DR produced from an inclined slit for two orientations of the slit axis, i.e., perpendicular and parallel to the plane of incidence. Our mathematical approach is generally applicable to any geometry and simpler than the Wiener Hopf method previously used to calculate DR from single edges. Our results for the slit are applied to the measurement of orthogonal beam size and divergence components. We discuss the problem of separating the simultaneous effects of these beam parameters on the angular distribution of DR and provide solutions to this difficulty. These include use of the horizontal and vertical polarization components of the radiation from a single slit and interferences from two inclined slits. Examples of DR diagnostics for a 500 MeV beam are presented and the current limitations of the technique are discussed.