Sub-picosecond electron bunch length measurement

A subpicosecond electron bunch length measuring system has been developed at the SUNSHINE facility. The method is based on an autocorrelation technique in the frequency domain utilizing the coherent radiation emitted from the electron bunch at wavelengths equal and longer than the bunch length. The radiation spectrum is the Fourier transform of the electron bunch distribution and measuring this spectrum in a far-infrared Michelson interferometer allows the determination of the bunch length down to the femto-second regime. The experimental setup and measurement of subpicosecond electron pulses including possible improvements to maximize the bunch information available from an interferogram are described