Synchronization of Synchrotron Radiation Bursts during a spatio-temporal Instability in accelerator-Based source

TL;DR

This study investigates how synchrotron radiation bursts in accelerator-based sources can be synchronized with external signals, revealing new control mechanisms for spatio-temporal instabilities in electron bunches.

Contribution

It demonstrates the synchronization of bursting microstructures in electron bunches using RF cavity modulation, combining numerical analysis and experimental validation.

Findings

Synchronization achieved at fundamental, harmonic, and subharmonic frequencies.

Presence of Arnold tongues indicating synchronization regions.

Phase-slip phenomena observed near synchronization thresholds.

Abstract

Synchronization is a fundamental phenomenon in dynamical systems, occurring in a wide range of contexts such as mechanical, chemical, biological, and social systems. In this work, we explore a novel manifestation of synchronization in accelerator-based light sources, specifically in storage rings where relativistic electron bunches circulate and emit synchrotron radiation, used for user experiments. In such systems, a systematic spatio-temporal instability arises when the bunch contains a large number of electrons. This instability is characterized by the spontaneous formation of microstructures within the bunch, which appear with a bursting behavior. We demonstrate that these bursting events can be synchronized with an external sinusoidal signal by modulating the electric field in a radiofrequency (RF) cavity. This external modulation induces typical synchronization features such as Arnold tongues at fundamental, harmonic, and subharmonic frequencies of the natural bursting rate, as well as phase-slip phenomena near the synchronization threshold. The synchronization mechanism is analyzed using numerical simulations based on the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation, and a proof-of-principle experiment is conducted at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility.