Observation of incoherent diffraction radiation from a single-edge target in the visible-light region

An experiment to investigate the diffraction radiation from a single edge target has been performed at the accelerator test facility of KEK with the aim of developing noninvasive beam diagnostics. The yield and the angular distribution of diffraction radiation as a function of the impact parameter was measured in the visible light region. The distributions were qualitatively consistent with the theoretical expectation. This work exhibits the first observation of the incoherent diffraction radiation in the visible light region.