Terahertz-Driven Nano-tip Field-Emission Electron Gun and Cascaded Acceleration
Abstract
This paper reports two versions of terahertz (THz)-driven nanotip field-emission electron guns: single-layer reflective guns (SLRGs) and double-layer reflective guns (DLRGs). Both guns use nanotip emitters and accelerate electrons through the electric field of the THz wave. SLRGs employ a reflective structure to superimpose the initial and subsequent half-cycles of the THz electric field, enhancing the field amplitude and acceleration efficiency. Experiments have demonstrated that SLRGs achieve higher acceleration efficiency than single-layer nonreflective guns (SLNRGs) for identical THz input energies. This constitutes direct experimental verification of the efficacy of the reflective structure. Theoretically, SLRGs operating in single-feed mode can match the acceleration efficiency of dual-feed SLNRGs while reducing operational complexity. DLRGs demonstrate THz-driven cascaded electron acceleration through precise scanning of the delay between two incident THz beams. This represents a direct experimental demonstration of cascaded acceleration in THz-driven electron sources. The experimental results of DLRGs align closely with the results of electron dynamics predicted by simulations. This establishes the foundation for developing multilayer high-acceleration-efficiency THz-driven high-energy electron guns. The ability to manipulate the THz for each layer individually holds promising potential for improving the beam quality of THz electron guns.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2508.17080,
title = {Terahertz-Driven Nano-tip Field-Emission Electron Gun and Cascaded Acceleration},
author = {Wentao Yu and Nongchao Tan and Kai Peng and Sijie Fan and Yixiao Fu and Kai Jiang and Zhao Yun and Longding Wang and Renkai Li and Yingchao Du and Lixin Yan and Chuanxiang Tang and Wenhui Huang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.17080},
year = {2025}
}