Synchronization of Synchrotron Radiation Bursts during a spatio-temporal Instability in accelerator-Based source
Abstract
Synchronization is a fundamental phenomenon in dynamical systems, occurring in a wide range of contexts such as mechanical, chemical, biological, and social systems. In this work, we explore a novel manifestation of synchronization in accelerator-based light sources, specifically in storage rings where relativistic electron bunches circulate and emit synchrotron radiation, used for user experiments. In such systems, a systematic spatio-temporal instability arises when the bunch contains a large number of electrons. This instability is characterized by the spontaneous formation of microstructures within the bunch, which appear with a bursting behavior. We demonstrate that these bursting events can be synchronized with an external sinusoidal signal by modulating the electric field in a radiofrequency (RF) cavity. This external modulation induces typical synchronization features such as Arnold tongues at fundamental, harmonic, and subharmonic frequencies of the natural bursting rate, as well as phase-slip phenomena near the synchronization threshold. The synchronization mechanism is analyzed using numerical simulations based on the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation, and a proof-of-principle experiment is conducted at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.06483,
title = {Synchronization of Synchrotron Radiation Bursts during a spatio-temporal Instability in accelerator-Based source},
author = {C. Evain and A. -A. Diallo and E. Roussel and C. Szwaj and M. Herda and M. -A. Tordeux and F. Ribeiro and M. Labat and N. Hubert and J. -B. Brubach and P. Roy and S. Bielawski},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.06483},
year = {2026}
}