Millimeter Wave Coherent Synchrotron Radiation in a Compact Electron Storage Ring

Installation of a 2856 MHz RF system into the XLS compact electron storage ring would allow the generation of millimeter wave coherent synchrotron radiation. Operating at 150 MeV, one could produce bunches containing on the order of 2x107 electrons with a bunch length σ L0 = 0.3 mm, resulting in coherent emission at wavelengths above 0.8 mm. The characteristics of the source and the emitted radiation are discussed. In the case of 100 mrad horizontal collection angle, the average power radiated in the wavelength band 1 mm ≤ λ ≤ 2 mm is 0.3 mW for single bunch operation and 24 mW for 80 bunch operation. The peak power in a single pulse of a few picosecond duration is on the order of one watt. By reducing the momentum compaction, the bunch length could be reduced to σ L0 = 0.15 mm, resulting in coherent synchrotron radiation down to 500 μm.