Experimental investigation of coherent Smith-Purcell radiation from a “flat” grating

Using the pre-bunched electron beam of 5 MeV linear accelerator the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation (CSPR) from a flat periodic target (made of conductive layers separated by dielectric gaps) in millimeter wavelength region has been investigated. The angular distribution of this radiation was measured with a narrow-band detector and experimental data agree with our theoretical calculations for similar kind of targets. Such properties of Smith-Purcell radiation as strong dependence of radiation wavelength on the observation angle overlapping with coherent radiation effect may be used for a noninvasive bunch length measurement. The possibility of using the room temperature detectors for single bunch measurements is demonstrated.