Siriwan Pakluea. Accelerator-based THz time domain spectroscopy using coherent transition radiation from short electron bunches. Doctoral Degree(Physics). Chiang Mai University. Library. : Chiang Mai University, 2025.
Accelerator-based THz time domain spectroscopy using coherent transition radiation from short electron bunches
Abstract:
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a versatile tool for material characterization, providing amplitude and phase information of THz fields. Traditional systems rely on photoconductive antennas (PCAs), which produce low-energy THz pulses. To address this limitation, high-power coherent transition radiation (CTR) generated from relativistic short electron bunches was developed as a THz source at the PBP-CMU Electron Linac Laboratory (PCELL), Chiang Mai University. CTR is produced using femtosecond-scale electron bunches generated by a thermionic RF gun, compressed with an alpha magnet, and further accelerated and optimized via velocity bunching in a linear accelerator. ASTRA simulations yielded optimized beam dynamics, achieving a bunch length of 352 fs and transverse beam sizes below 0.1 mm. A 45! tilted aluminum foil served as the CTR radiator, and its angular distribution, polarization, and spectral range were thoroughly analyzed. The THzTransport code was employed to design a 27-meter transport line, achieving a transmission efficiency of 8090% and pulse energies of 0.170.25 μJ within a spectral range up to 2 THz. A standalone THz-TDS system, using electron-beam-irradiated semi-insulating GaAs PCAs for emission and detection, was developed and optimized for laser power, bias voltage, scan parameters, and acquisition timing. The optimized THz-TDS system provides the THz pulse energies of 0.5 pJ within a spectral range up to 2.5 THz. Comparative studies with standard samples demonstrated high-resolution material analysis capabilities. Additionally, design considerations for a future CTR-based THz-TDS system with electro-optic sampling detection were explored to enhance performance and expand application potential.