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Active demodulation for high-repetition-rate coherent terahertz generation in storage rings

Xiazhen Xu, Haoran Zhang*, Jinming Zhang, Fengyi Zhang, Junyi Chen, Yuquan He, Zhigang He†, and Duohui He

  • *Contact author: zhrzhm@ustc.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: hezhg@ustc.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 29, 093403 – Published 15 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/dyld-vpxw

Abstract

Coherent terahertz (THz) sources based on storage rings offer a compelling pathway to high-average-power radiation, leveraging the high revolution frequency of the electron beam. However, current achievable repetition rates are severely constrained by the radiation damping required to dissipate phase-space perturbations introduced during generation. To address this challenge, we propose a novel scheme incorporating an active demodulation mechanism. This method utilizes a phase-reversed laser interaction to actively compensate for the laser-induced energy modulation immediately following the radiation emission. By rapidly restoring the beam quality rather than waiting for natural radiation damping, the recovery time is significantly shortened. Simulations based on HLS-II, combined with an analytical damping estimate, suggest the feasibility of coherent 10 THz generation at repetition rates on the order of 100 kHz, corresponding to an average power of 6.2 mW.

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