Magnetic mirror cavities as THz radiation sources and a means of quantifying radiation friction

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel THz radiation source using magnetic mirror cavities, demonstrating tunable frequency combs and suggesting a method to verify radiation friction models through spectral broadening at high energies.

Contribution

It introduces a magnetic mirror cavity-based THz source and explores its potential for tuning and testing radiation friction effects in high-energy electrons.

Findings

Frequency combs in the terahertz range are produced.

Spectral broadening occurs at high energies due to radiation friction.

The method can help verify classical radiation friction equations.

Abstract

We propose a radiation source based on a magnetic mirror cavity. Relativistic electrons are simulated entering the cavity and their trajectories and resulting emission spectra are calculated. The uniformity of the particle orbits is found to result in a frequency comb in terahertz range, the precise energies of which are tuneable by varying the electron's $\gamma$-factor. For very high energy particles radiation friction causes the spectral harmonics to broaden and we suggest this as a possible way to verify competing classical equations of motion.