Studies of Particle Acceleration by an Active Microwave Medium

The PASER is potentially a very attractive method for particle acceleration, in which energy from an active medium is transferred to a charged particle beam. The effect is similar to the action of a maser or laser with the stimulated emission of radiation being produced by the virtual photons in the electromagnetic field of the beam. We have been investigating the possibility of developing a demonstration PASER operating at X-band. The less restrictive beam transport and device dimensional tolerances required for working at X-band rather than optical frequencies as well as the widespread application of X-band hardware in accelerator technology all contribute to the attractiveness of performing a PASER demonstration experiment in this frequency range. Key to this approach is the availability of a new class of active materials that exhibit photoinduced electron spin polarization. We will report on the status of active material development and measurements, numerical simulations, and progress towards a planned microwave PASER acceleration experiment at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator facility.