Radiation from Relativistic Electrons in Periodic Structures "RREPS-19"

Electron and X-ray source based on a pyroelectric single crystal driven by a periodically varying temperature

19 Sept 2019, 10:10

20m

Oral Applications of monochromatic X-ray, gamma-ray Applications of Monochromatic X-ray, Gamma Ray and Terahertz Beams Produced at Electron Accelerators

Speaker

Andrey Oleinik (Royal Holloway College, University of London \ Belgorod State University)

Description

Nowadays, the possibilities of obtaining compact and safe particle sources and accelerators for a wide range of applications are being actively investigated and considered. One of such possibilities is a pyroelectric effect in single crystals of lithium niobate (LiNbO$_{3}$) and lithium tantalate (LiTaO$_{3}$) can lead to acceleration of electrons to energies of the order of 100 keV and to generation X-rays with broad spectrum. However, electric breakdowns prevent stable particles acceleration.
The sinusoidal mode of changing the temperature of a pyroelectric single crystal leads to oscillations the pyroelectric current with a typical frequency of the order of 1-50 mHz and the amplitude of about 1-10 nA for samples with area of several cm$^{2}$. In vacuum condition that current might induce high electric field, which oscillates with the same frequency. Estimated amplitude of electric field is of the order of $10^{5}$ V/cm.
The possibilities and the advantages of using such mode of temperature change to obtain a quasi-stable X-ray and electron pyroelectric source are considered. Preliminary results of measurement of electron and X-ray flux are reported.