Ultra-monochromatic far-infrared Cherenkov diffraction radiation in a super-radiant regime

Nowadays, intense electromagnetic (EM) radiation in the far-infrared (FIR) spectral range is an advanced tool for scientific research in biology, chemistry, and material science because many materials leave signatures in the radiation spectrum. Narrow-band spectral lines enable researchers to investigate the matter response in greater detail. The generation of highly monochromatic variable frequency FIR radiation has therefore become a broad area of research. High energy electron beams consisting of a long train of dense bunches of particles provide a super-radiant regime and can generate intense highly monochromatic radiation due to coherent emission in the spectral range from a few GHz to potentially a few THz. We employed novel coherent Cherenkov diffraction radiation (ChDR) as a generation mechanism. This effect occurs when a fast charged particle moves in the vicinity of and parallel to a dielectric interface. Two key features of the ChDR phenomenon are its non-invasive nature and its photon yield being proportional to the length of the radiator. The bunched structure of the very long electron beam produced spectral lines that were observed to have frequencies upto 21 GHz and with a relative bandwidth of 10^-4 ~ 10^-5. The line bandwidth and intensity are defined by the shape and length of the bunch train. A compact linear accelerator can be utilized to control the resonant wavelength by adjusting the bunch sequence frequency.