Widely tunable electron bunch trains for the generation of high-power narrowband 1-10 THz radiation

Terahertz radiation enables the coherent excitation of many fundamental modes, such as molecular rotation, lattice vibration and spin precession. To excite the transient state of matter far out of equilibrium, high-power and tunable narrowband terahertz radiation sources have been in great demand for years. However, the terahertz source available at present cannot meet these tunability and power demands, leaving a large scientific gap that has yet to be fully explored. Here we convert the energy modulation induced by the nonlinear longitudinal space charge force to a density modulation and experimentally demonstrate the generation of electron bunch trains with modulation frequencies that are adjustable between 1 and 10 THz. The electron bunch trains can be directly used to produce tunable high-power narrowband terahertz radiation that fully covers the long-standing terahertz gap', which will open up many more possibilities in terahertz science. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

Researchers have successfully generated electron bunch trains with adjustable modulation frequencies between 1 and 10 THz by converting the energy modulation induced by nonlinear longitudinal space charge force to a density modulation. These electron bunch trains can be used to directly produce tunable high-power narrowband terahertz radiation that fully covers the long-standing terahertz gap, opening up more possibilities in terahertz science.