Multioctave high-dynamic range optical spectrometer for single-pulse, longitudinal characterization of ultrashort electron bunches

Abstract

We present design and realization of an ultrabroadband optical spectrometer capable of measuring the spectral intensity of multioctave-spanning light sources on a single-pulse basis with a dynamic range of up to eight orders of magnitude. The instrument is optimized for the characterization of the temporal structure of femtosecond long electron bunches by analyzing the emitted coherent transition radiation spectra. The spectrometer operates within the spectral range of 250 nm to 11.35 μm, corresponding to 5.5 optical octaves. This is achieved by dividing the signal beam into three spectral groups, each analyzed by a dedicated spectrometer and detector unit. The complete instrument was characterized with regard to wavelength, relative spectral sensitivity, and absolute photometric sensitivity, always accounting for the light polarization and comparing different calibration methods. Finally, the capability of the spectrometer is demonstrated with a coherent transition radiation measurement of a laser wakefield accelerated electron bunch, enabling to determine temporal pulse structures at unprecedented resolution.