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arXiv · 2603.28899

Probing atoms by periodically modulated electron bunches

A. B. Voitkiv·E. Schneidmiller·T. Pfeifer
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Abstract

When passing through an undulator in a Free Electron Laser, dense bunches of relativistic electrons split into micro-bunches, attaining a periodic space-time structure. We show that the field of such periodically modulated bunches is tremendously influenced by coherence effects, resulting in a novel type of beam-atom interaction. Our results indicate that employing such bunches (alone or in combinations with the radiation they emit) offers a multitude of new opportunities for exploring atomic dynamics on a femtosecond time scale.

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A. B. Voitkiv, E. Schneidmiller, T. Pfeifer. 2026-03-30. Probing atoms by periodically modulated electron bunches. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.28899

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