A new approach to diagnosing twisted particles

The specialists from the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems and ITMO University have developed an efficient theoretical technique for estimating the key parameters of vortex (twisted) beams of electrons and ions.

The proposed approach opens up new possibilities for diagnosing high-energy particles in accelerator experiments, as well as for studying the magnetic properties of materials.

Vortex beams, in which particles move in a spiral, are of significant interest for fundamental physics, materials science and quantum technologies. However, the current techniques for their diagnosis are effective mainly for particles with low energies and are not suitable for relativistic beams used in advanced accelerator complexes.

The solution proposed by the scientific group is to use diffraction on a triangular aperture. Such as, if you pass a twisted electron beam through a microscopic triangular hole, then a characteristic diffraction pattern appears in the far zone of the detector. Analysis of the resulting pattern of bright points allows you to accurately estimate both the magnitude and direction of the orbital angular momentum of the particles in the beam.

The results of comprehensive simulation confirmed the operability of this technique for energies of 100 keV - 5 MeV. In particular, it can be used on the LINAC-200 linear electron accelerator in DLNP JINR. Currently, specialists from the Joint Institute and ITMO are preparing a joint experiment to test the new technique. In the future, this approach can become a convenient tool for online monitoring of twisted beams on accelerators, as well as transmission electron and ion microscopy.

On behalf of JINR, a senior laboratory assistant of the Sector of Reactor Neutrinos of DLNP Nikita Borodin and DLNP Deputy Director Dmitry Naumov took part in the research, the results of which have been published in the article "Diffraction through round and triangular apertures as a diagnostic tool for detecting twisted waves of matter" in the journal Physical Review A.

JINR Press Office