Synchrotron radiation from an accelerating light pulse

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Optics

Background:

• Synchrotron radiation is typically produced by high-energy electrons in large accelerators.
• Generating synchrotron radiation on a smaller scale is challenging but desirable for miniaturized applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel method for generating synchrotron radiation using a metasurface.
• To explore the production of terahertz-frequency radiation from a microscale circular trajectory.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a metasurface to bend light, creating a microscale circular path for a subpicosecond pulse within a nonlinear crystal.
• Analyzed the electromagnetic radiation emitted from this microscale trajectory.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated synchrotron radiation from a subpicosecond pulse moving along a 100-micrometer circular arc.
• The emitted radiation was in the terahertz frequency range, driven by nonlinear polarization.

Conclusions:

• The microscale generation of synchrotron radiation is feasible using metasurfaces and nonlinear crystals.
• This technique offers a promising pathway toward developing compact, on-chip terahertz sources.