Narrow Bandwidth Gamma Comb from Nonlinear Compton Scattering Using the Polarization Gating Technique
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 194801 – Published 12 May, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.194801
Abstract
Nonlinear Compton scattering is a promising source of bright gamma rays. Using readily available intense laser pulses to scatter off the energetic electrons, on the one hand, allows us to significantly increase the total photon yield, but on the other hand, leads to a dramatic spectral broadening of the fundamental emission line as well as its harmonics due to the laser pulse shape induced ponderomotive effects. In this Letter we propose to avoid ponderomotive broadening in harmonics by using the polarization gating technique—a well-known method to construct a laser pulse with temporally varying polarization. We show that by restricting harmonic emission only to the region near the peak of the pulse, where the polarization is linear, it is possible to generate a bright narrow bandwidth comb in the gamma region.
