The particle accelerator on a chip

by Prof. Peter Hommelhoff

LMU Munich and FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg

at Physics Colloquium

Tue, 31 Dec 2024, 12:00
Zoom only

Abstract

Particle accelerators can be found in science, medicine and industry. Most of them rely on microwave-powered cavities that continuously impart momentum to the electrons traversing them. The same principle can be used with laser light, so with electro-magnetic fields powering the accelerator structure whose wavelength is a factor of 10,000 smaller than that of the microwave drive in classical accelerators. When using light, the relevant structures need to be shrunk by the same factor, so that now nanofabrication techniques are required to build the accelerator. Intriguingly, because the damage threshold of dielectrics is so large, acceleration gradients in excess of 1 GeV/m can be reached, which is 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than in their microwave counterparts. We expect that 1 cm long on-chip accelerators can result, allowing for new medical instruments but also new light sources with attosecond timing. Last, the interaction of the light fields and the electrons happens quantum coherently, allowing for entirely new ways to shape electrons and thus to image hitherto hidden material properties.

Created on 19-11-2024 by Maniv, Eran (eranmaniv)
Updaded on 04-12-2024 by Maniv, Eran (eranmaniv)