Speaker
Description
How can the ultrafast electromagnetic fields generated by electron accelerators be measured with compact and versatile instrumentation? We address this question using a fiber-coupled electro-optical sensor fabricated in thin-film lithium niobate. The sensor incorporates an integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometer, converting electric-field-induced changes into a measurable intensity signal of an optical beam. We demonstrate the use of the same sensor in two complementary accelerator environments. At the FLUTE accelerator, it was used to detect the transient electric field accompanying relativistic electron bunches. At the KARA storage ring, it was used to measure coherent synchrotron radiation emitted by short electron bunches. In both cases, the sensor provided access to ultrafast electromagnetic signals through a compact, integrated photonic device. These experiments demonstrate the potential of thin-film lithium-niobate technology for reducing the size and complexity of electro-optic measurement systems while enabling a broad range of accelerator diagnostics. The research was enabled by a cooperation between KIT IBPT and Prof. I. Wilke from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who joined IBPT for a research stay in the framework of a KIT International Excellence Grant.