Monochromatic Cherenkov diffraction radiation from continuous coupling of an electron beam to a thin dielectric slab waveguide

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method for generating monochromatic Cherenkov radiation using a thin dielectric slab excited by an electron beam, with potential applications across a broad spectrum from ultraviolet to terahertz.

Contribution

It introduces a new scheme for monochromatic Cherenkov radiation generation via continuous coupling to a dielectric waveguide, supported by quantitative simulations.

Findings

Effective near-infrared radiation generation in silicon demonstrated

Scalability from ultraviolet to terahertz achieved by adjusting dielectric thickness

Comparison shows advantages over conventional Cherenkov and diffraction radiation

Abstract

A scheme for generation of monochromatic Cherenkov radiation in a thin dielectric layer is proposed. The electrons travel in vacuum parallel to a dielectric, exciting a single synchronous electromagnetic waveguide mode. The proposed scheme is studied quantitatively for near-infrared radiation in silicon induced by a 100-keV electron beam, using time-domain and frequency-domain numerical simulations, with material absorption and dispersion taken into account. This method of radiation generation can be scaled from ultraviolet to terahertz radiation by changing the thickness of the dielectric layer and choosing a material with low loss at the desired wavelength. Comparison with conventional Cherenkov Radiation and Cherenkov Diffraction Radiation is also presented.