Verification of terahertz-wave spectrophotometry by Compton backscattering of coherent synchrotron radiation

We developed a continuous-spectrum light beam from Compton backscattering by using coherent synchrotron radiation in an L-band linac at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute. The ratio of Compton backscattered photons to background photons when coherent synchrotron radiation was used was three times larger than when coherent transition radiation was used. The transmission spectrum of a polystyrene film in the terahertz-wave region was evaluated by measuring the spectrum of the Compton backscattered photons and it roughly agreed with that measured by a Martin-Puplett-type interferometer. The spectrophotometry using Compton backscattering shows promise as a new tool for investigations in terahertz-wave science.