Note on cylindrical waves which propagate at the velocity of light

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5185610

Kroll, N M

The continuous linear acceleration of ultra relativistic particles in free space by an electromagnetic field requires the presence of a cylindrical wave component with phase velocity that differs negligibly from c and with non-vanishing electric field component in the direction of propagation. Lawson and Woodward have pointed out the fact that certain geometries proposed for laser driven acceleration fail to satisfy these requirements. On the other hand, complex wave number plane wave fields which do satisfy these requirements have been constructed by Palmer, who also points out that any cylindrical wave with the required properties can be formed from superposition of plane waves of the form which he has obtained. The situation is analogous to that which occurs in standard wave-guide theory. There it is also true that any waveguide mode can be constructed by superposition of plane waves. Nevertheless, the study of the general properties of cylindrical waves has proved to be a very powerful tool for the analysis of waveguides and similar structures. Because this may also prove to be the case for fields with propagation velocity c we present a brief study of their properties below.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (USA); California Univ., San Diego (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 5185610
• Report Number(s): SLAC-PUB-2904; CONF-820241-1; ON: DE82012921; TRN: 82-013722
• Resource Relation: Conference: Workshop on laser acceleration of particles, Los Alamos, NM, USA, 18 Feb 1982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
WAVE PROPAGATION
PHASE VELOCITY
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
ACCELERATORS
CONFIGURATION
ENERGY RANGE
VELOCITY
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657007 - Electricity & Magnetism- (-1987)