An RF Timer of Electrons and Photons with the Potential to reach Picosecond Precision

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel RF electron and photon timing device capable of achieving approximately 10 picosecond resolution, utilizing a helical deflector and microchannel plate sensors for ultra-precise timing measurements.

Contribution

The paper presents a new RF timing technique that combines a helical deflector with microchannel plates, enabling sub-10 ps resolution with minimal dead time, surpassing traditional streak camera limitations.

Findings

Achieved ~10 ps timing resolution with laser pulses

Demonstrated simultaneous electron and photon timing in a single device

Potential for applications requiring ultra-high precision timing

Abstract

This paper describes a new radio frequency timer of keV energy electrons. It is based on a helical deflector, which performs circular or elliptical sweeps of keV electrons, by means of 500 MHz radio frequency field. By converting a time distribution of incident electrons to a hit position distribution on a circle or ellipse, this device achieves extremely precise timing. Streak Cameras, based on similar principles, routinely operate in the ps and sub-ps time domain, but have substantial dead time associated with the readout system. Here, we report a new type of RF timing technique, where the position sensor, consisting of microchannel plates and a delay-line anode, produces ~ns duration pulses with small dead time. Measurements made with sub-ps duration laser pulses, synchronized to the radio frequency power, produced a timing resolution of ~10 ps. This ultra-high precision technique has potential applications in a large variety of scientific devices, and in all cases, electrons are timed and detected simultaneously in the same device.