All across physics research, incoherent and coherent light sources are extensively utilized. Especially highly brilliant X-ray sources such as third generation synchrotrons or free-electron lasers have become an invaluable tool enabling experimental techniques that are unique to these kinds of light sources. But these sources have developed to large scale facilities and a demand in compact laboratory scale sources providing radiation of similar quality arises nowadays. This thesis focuses on Traveling-Wave Thomson-Scattering (TWTS) which allows for the realization of ultra-compact, inherently synchronized and highly brilliant light sources. The TWTS geometry provides optical undulators, through which electrons pass and thereby emit radiation, with hundreds to thousands of undulator periods by utilizing pulse-front tilted lasers pulses from high peak-power laser systems. TWTS can realize incoherent radiation sources with orders of magnitude higher photon yield than established head-on Thomson sources. Moreover, optical free-electron lasers (OFELs) can be realized with TWTS if state-of-the-art technology in electron accelerators and laser systems is utilized. Tilting the laser pulse front with respect to the wavefront by half of this interaction angle optimizes electron and laser pulse overlap by compensating the spatial offset between electrons and the laser pulse-front at the beginning of the interaction when the electrons are far from the laser pulse axis. The laser pulse-front tilt ensures continuous overlap between electrons and laser pulse while the electrons cross the laser pulse cross-sectional area. Thus the interaction distance can be controlled in TWTS by the laser pulse width rather than laser pulse duration. Utilizing wide, petawatt class laser pulses allows realizing thousands of optical undulator periods. This thesis will show that TWTS OFELs emitting ultraviolet radiation are realizable today with existing technology for electron accelerators and laser systems. The requirements on electron bunch and laser pulse quality of these ultraviolet TWTS OFELs are discussed in detail as well as the corresponding requirements of TWTS OFELs emitting in the soft and hard X-ray range. These requirements are derived from scaling laws which stem from a self-consistent analytic description of the electron bunch and radiation field dynamics in TWTS OFELs presented within this thesis. It is shown that these dynamics in TWTS OFELs are qualitatively equivalent to the electron bunch and radiation field dynamics of standard free-electron lasers which analytically proves the applicability of TWTS for the realization of an optical free-electron laser. Furthermore, experimental setup strategies to generate the pulse-front tilted TWTS laser pulses are presented and designs of experimental setups for the above examples are discussed. The presented setup strategies provide dispersion compensation, required due to angular dispersion of the laser pulse, which is especially relevant when building compact, high-yield hard X-ray TWTS sources in large interaction angle setups. An example of such an enhanced Thomson source by TWTS, which provides orders of magnitude higher spectral photon density than a comparable head-on interaction geometry, is presented, too. / Inkohärente und kohärente Lichtquellen werden in allen Feldern der physikalischen Forschung intensiv eingesetzt. Im Besonderen ermöglichen hoch-brilliante Röntgenquellen, wie Synchrotrone der dritten Generation und Freie-Elektronen Laser, einzigartige Experimentiertechniken wodurch diese zu unverzichtbaren Werkzeugen wurden. Sie sind allerdings auch im Umfang zu Großforschungseinrichtungen herangewachsen. Um den hohen Bedarf an hoch-brillianten Lichtquellen zu decken, besteht daher die Notwendigkeit neuartige und kompakte Quellen zu entwickeln welche auf dem Maßstab eines Labors realisierbar sind. Diese Dissertation widmet sich der Traveling-Wave Thomsonstreuung (TWTS) welche die Realisierung ultra-kompakter, intrinsisch synchronisierbarer und hoch-brillianter Röntgenquellen ermöglicht. TWTS ist eine Methode der Streuung von Laserpulsen an relativistischen Elektronen. Dabei durchquert ein Elektronenpuls mit nahezu Lichtgeschwindigkeit einen Laserpuls. Während der Durchquerung beginnen die Elektronen im Feld des Laserpulses zu oszillieren wobei sie Strahlung emittieren. Die ausgesandte Strahlung besitzt eine deutlich kürzere Wellenlänge als das Laserfeld aufgrund der hohen Elektronengeschwindigkeit und der damit verbundenen großen Dopplerverschiebung. Das besondere an TWTS ist, dass Elektronen- und Laserpropagationsrichtung einen Winkel einschließen sowie pulsfrontverkippte Hochleistungslaserpulse eingesetzt werden. Dadurch können um Größenordnungen längere Interaktionsdistanzen als in herkömmlichen frontalen Thomsonstreuungsanordnungen erreicht werden. TWTS ermöglicht dadurch die Realisierung optischer Freie-Elektronen Laser (OFEL) und inkohärenter Strahlungsquellen mit einer um Größenordnungen erhöhten Photonenausbeute gegenüber Thomsonstreuungsquellen in frontalen Interaktionsanordungen. Werden modernste Elektronenbeschleuniger und Lasersysteme genutzt, dann ist der Betrieb optischer Freie-Elektronen Laser bereits heute mit TWTS möglich. Das wird in der Dissertation am Beispiel eines Vakuumultraviolettstrahlung emittierenden TWTS OFEL gezeigt. Dessen Anforderungen an die Qualität der Elektronen- und Laserpulse werden im Detail in der Arbeit besprochen sowie weitere Beispiele weicher und harter Röntgenstrahlung emittierender TWTS OFEL präsentiert. Diese Anforderungen werden anhand von Skalierungsvorschriften ermittelt welche aus einer selbstkonsistenten, 1.5 dimensionalen Theorie zur Wechselwirkung zwischen Elektronen und Laserfeld in TWTS abgeleitet sind. Sowohl die Theorie zur Wechselwirkung als auch die Ableitung der Skalierungsvorschriften sind Teile dieser Dissertation. Eine wichtige Erkenntnis der Theorie ist die qualitative Äquivalenz von Elektronen- und Strahlungsfeldbewegungsgleichungen in TWTS zu denen herkömmlicher Freie-Elektronen Laser. Das beweist analytisch die Möglichkeit zur Realisierung eines OFEL mit TWTS. Einen weiteren wichtigen Teil dieser Dissertation bildet die Arbeit zur Generierung der Laserpulse mit verkippter Pulsfront. Optische Aufbauten zur Verkippung der Laserpulsfront werden vorgestellt und für einige der präsentierten TWTS OFEL ausführlich dargelegt. Die Aufbauten verkippen nicht nur die Laserpulsfront sondern gewähren gleichzeitig Kontrolle über die Laserpulsdispersionen. Dadurch kann während der gesamten Interaktionen eine ausreichend hohe Qualität des Laserfeldes sichergestellt werden, was für TWTS OFEL und inkohärente TWTS Lichtquellen mit großem Interaktionswinkel unbedingt notwendig ist. Ein Beispiel einer inkohärenten TWTS Lichtquelle wird ebenfalls präsentiert. Diese emittiert Strahlung mit einer um Größenordnungen höheren spektrale Photonendichte als eine herkömmliche Thomsonquelle in einer frontalen Streuanordnung mit vergleichbaren Laser- und Elektronenpulsen.

All across physics research, incoherent and coherent light sources are extensively utilized. Especially highly brilliant X-ray sources such as third generation synchrotrons or free-electron lasers have become an invaluable tool enabling experimental techniques that are unique to these kinds of light sources. But these sources have developed to large scale facilities and a demand in compact laboratory scale sources providing radiation of similar quality arises nowadays. This thesis focuses on Traveling-Wave Thomson-Scattering (TWTS) which allows for the realization of ultra-compact, inherently synchronized and highly brilliant light sources. The TWTS geometry provides optical undulators, through which electrons pass and thereby emit radiation, with hundreds to thousands of undulator periods by utilizing pulse-front tilted lasers pulses from high peak-power laser systems. TWTS can realize incoherent radiation sources with orders of magnitude higher photon yield than established head-on Thomson sources. Moreover, optical free-electron lasers (OFELs) can be realized with TWTS if state-of-the-art technology in electron accelerators and laser systems is utilized. Tilting the laser pulse front with respect to the wavefront by half of this interaction angle optimizes electron and laser pulse overlap by compensating the spatial offset between electrons and the laser pulse-front at the beginning of the interaction when the electrons are far from the laser pulse axis. The laser pulse-front tilt ensures continuous overlap between electrons and laser pulse while the electrons cross the laser pulse cross-sectional area. Thus the interaction distance can be controlled in TWTS by the laser pulse width rather than laser pulse duration. Utilizing wide, petawatt class laser pulses allows realizing thousands of optical undulator periods. This thesis will show that TWTS OFELs emitting ultraviolet radiation are realizable today with existing technology for electron accelerators and laser systems. The requirements on electron bunch and laser pulse quality of these ultraviolet TWTS OFELs are discussed in detail as well as the corresponding requirements of TWTS OFELs emitting in the soft and hard X-ray range. These requirements are derived from scaling laws which stem from a self-consistent analytic description of the electron bunch and radiation field dynamics in TWTS OFELs presented within this thesis. It is shown that these dynamics in TWTS OFELs are qualitatively equivalent to the electron bunch and radiation field dynamics of standard free-electron lasers which analytically proves the applicability of TWTS for the realization of an optical free-electron laser. Furthermore, experimental setup strategies to generate the pulse-front tilted TWTS laser pulses are presented and designs of experimental setups for the above examples are discussed. The presented setup strategies provide dispersion compensation, required due to angular dispersion of the laser pulse, which is especially relevant when building compact, high-yield hard X-ray TWTS sources in large interaction angle setups. An example of such an enhanced Thomson source by TWTS, which provides orders of magnitude higher spectral photon density than a comparable head-on interaction geometry, is presented, too

This thesis investigates the use of high-power lasers for synchrotron radiation sources with high brilliance, from the EUV to the hard X-ray spectral range. Hereby lasers accelerate electrons by laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), act as optical undulators, or both. Experimental evidence shows for the first time that LWFA electron bunches are shorter than the driving laser and have a length scale comparable to the plasma wavelength. Furthermore, a first proof of principle experiment demonstrates that LWFA electrons can be exploited to generate undulator radiation. Building upon these experimental findings, as well as extensive numerical simulations of Thomson scattering, the theoretical foundations of a novel interaction geometry for laser-matter interaction are developed. This new method is very general and when tailored towards relativistically moving targets not being limited by the focusability (Rayleigh length) of the laser, while it does not require a waveguide. In a theoretical investigation of Thomson scattering, the optical analogue of undulator radiation, the limits of Thomson sources in scaling towards higher peak brilliances are highlighted. This leads to a novel method for generating brilliant, highly tunable X-ray sources, which is highly energy efficient by circumventing the laser Rayleigh limit through a novel traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) geometry. This new method suggests increases in X-ray photon yields of 2-3 orders of magnitudes using existing lasers and a way towards efficient, optical undulators to drive a free-electron laser. The results presented here extend far beyond the scope of this work. The possibility to use lasers as particle accelerators, as well as optical undulators, leads to very compact and energy efficient synchrotron sources. The resulting monoenergetic radiation of high brilliance in a range from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to hard X-ray radiation is of fundamental importance for basic research, medical applications, material and life sciences and is going to significantly contribute to a new generation of radiation sources and free-electron lasers (FELs).

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich in Experiment und Theorie mit Laser-Plasma beschleunigten Elektronen und optischen Undulatoren zur Erzeugung von brillianter Synchrotronstrahlung. Zum ersten Mal wird experimentell nachgewießen, dass laserbeschleunigte Elektronenpulse kürzer als 30 fs sind. Ferner werden solche Elektronenpulse erstmalig in einem Demonstrationsexperiment durch einen magnetischen Undulator als Synchrotronstrahlenquelle genutzt. Aufbauend auf diesen experimentellen Erkenntnissen, sowie umfangreichen numerischen Simulationen zur Thomsonstreuung, werden die theoretischen Grundlagen einer neuartigen Interaktionsgeometrie für Laser-Materie Wechselwirkungen entwickelt. Diese neue, in der Anwendbarkeit sehr allgemeine Methode basiert auf raum-zeitlicher Laserpulsformung durch nichtlineare Winkeldispersion wie diese durch VLS- (varied-line spacing) Gitter erzeugt werden kann und hat den Vorteil nicht durch die Fokussierbarkeit des Lasers (Rayleighlänge) begrenzt zu sein. Zusammen mit laserbeschleunigten Elektronen ermöglicht dieser traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) benannte Ansatz neuartige, nur auf optischer Technologie basierende Synchrotronstrahlenquellen mit Zentimeter bis Meter langen optische Undulatoren. Die hierbei mit existierenden Lasern erzielbaren Brillianzen übersteigen diese bestehender Thomsonquellen-Designs um 2-3 Größenordnungen. Die hier vorgestellten Ergebnisse weisen weit über die Grenzen der vorliegenden Arbeit hinaus. Die Möglichkeit Laser als Teilchenbeschleuniger und auch optischen Undulator zu verwenden führt zu bauartbedingt sehr kompakten und energieeffizienten Synchrotronstrahlungsquellen. Die hieraus resultierende monochromatische Strahlung hoher Brillianz in einem Wellenlängenbereich von extremen ultraviolett (EUV) zu harten Röntgenstrahlen ist für die Grundlagenforschung, medizinische Anwendungen, Material- und Lebenswissenschaften von fundamentaler Bedeutung und wird maßgeblich zu einer neuen Generation ultrakurzer Strahlungsquellen und freien Elektronenlasern (FELs) beitragen. / This thesis investigates the use of high-power lasers for synchrotron radiation sources with high brilliance, from the EUV to the hard X-ray spectral range. Hereby lasers accelerate electrons by laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), act as optical undulators, or both. Experimental evidence shows for the first time that LWFA electron bunches are shorter than the driving laser and have a length scale comparable to the plasma wavelength. Furthermore, a first proof of principle experiment demonstrates that LWFA electrons can be exploited to generate undulator radiation. Building upon these experimental findings, as well as extensive numerical simulations of Thomson scattering, the theoretical foundations of a novel interaction geometry for laser-matter interaction are developed. This new method is very general and when tailored towards relativistically moving targets not being limited by the focusability (Rayleigh length) of the laser, while it does not require a waveguide. In a theoretical investigation of Thomson scattering, the optical analogue of undulator radiation, the limits of Thomson sources in scaling towards higher peak brilliances are highlighted. This leads to a novel method for generating brilliant, highly tunable X-ray sources, which is highly energy efficient by circumventing the laser Rayleigh limit through a novel traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) geometry. This new method suggests increases in X-ray photon yields of 2-3 orders of magnitudes using existing lasers and a way towards efficient, optical undulators to drive a free-electron laser. The results presented here extend far beyond the scope of this work. The possibility to use lasers as particle accelerators, as well as optical undulators, leads to very compact and energy efficient synchrotron sources. The resulting monoenergetic radiation of high brilliance in a range from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to hard X-ray radiation is of fundamental importance for basic research, medical applications, material and life sciences and is going to significantly contribute to a new generation of radiation sources and free-electron lasers (FELs).

This thesis investigates the use of high-power lasers for synchrotron radiation sources with high brilliance, from the EUV to the hard X-ray spectral range. Hereby lasers accelerate electrons by laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), act as optical undulators, or both. Experimental evidence shows for the first time that LWFA electron bunches are shorter than the driving laser and have a length scale comparable to the plasma wavelength. Furthermore, a first proof of principle experiment demonstrates that LWFA electrons can be exploited to generate undulator radiation. Building upon these experimental findings, as well as extensive numerical simulations of Thomson scattering, the theoretical foundations of a novel interaction geometry for laser-matter interaction are developed. This new method is very general and when tailored towards relativistically moving targets not being limited by the focusability (Rayleigh length) of the laser, while it does not require a waveguide. In a theoretical investigation of Thomson scattering, the optical analogue of undulator radiation, the limits of Thomson sources in scaling towards higher peak brilliances are highlighted. This leads to a novel method for generating brilliant, highly tunable X-ray sources, which is highly energy efficient by circumventing the laser Rayleigh limit through a novel traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) geometry. This new method suggests increases in X-ray photon yields of 2-3 orders of magnitudes using existing lasers and a way towards efficient, optical undulators to drive a free-electron laser. The results presented here extend far beyond the scope of this work. The possibility to use lasers as particle accelerators, as well as optical undulators, leads to very compact and energy efficient synchrotron sources. The resulting monoenergetic radiation of high brilliance in a range from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to hard X-ray radiation is of fundamental importance for basic research, medical applications, material and life sciences and is going to significantly contribute to a new generation of radiation sources and free-electron lasers (FELs).

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich in Experiment und Theorie mit Laser-Plasma beschleunigten Elektronen und optischen Undulatoren zur Erzeugung von brillianter Synchrotronstrahlung. Zum ersten Mal wird experimentell nachgewießen, dass laserbeschleunigte Elektronenpulse kürzer als 30 fs sind. Ferner werden solche Elektronenpulse erstmalig in einem Demonstrationsexperiment durch einen magnetischen Undulator als Synchrotronstrahlenquelle genutzt. Aufbauend auf diesen experimentellen Erkenntnissen, sowie umfangreichen numerischen Simulationen zur Thomsonstreuung, werden die theoretischen Grundlagen einer neuartigen Interaktionsgeometrie für Laser-Materie Wechselwirkungen entwickelt. Diese neue, in der Anwendbarkeit sehr allgemeine Methode basiert auf raum-zeitlicher Laserpulsformung durch nichtlineare Winkeldispersion wie diese durch VLS- (varied-line spacing) Gitter erzeugt werden kann und hat den Vorteil nicht durch die Fokussierbarkeit des Lasers (Rayleighlänge) begrenzt zu sein. Zusammen mit laserbeschleunigten Elektronen ermöglicht dieser traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) benannte Ansatz neuartige, nur auf optischer Technologie basierende Synchrotronstrahlenquellen mit Zentimeter bis Meter langen optische Undulatoren. Die hierbei mit existierenden Lasern erzielbaren Brillianzen übersteigen diese bestehender Thomsonquellen-Designs um 2-3 Größenordnungen. Die hier vorgestellten Ergebnisse weisen weit über die Grenzen der vorliegenden Arbeit hinaus. Die Möglichkeit Laser als Teilchenbeschleuniger und auch optischen Undulator zu verwenden führt zu bauartbedingt sehr kompakten und energieeffizienten Synchrotronstrahlungsquellen. Die hieraus resultierende monochromatische Strahlung hoher Brillianz in einem Wellenlängenbereich von extremen ultraviolett (EUV) zu harten Röntgenstrahlen ist für die Grundlagenforschung, medizinische Anwendungen, Material- und Lebenswissenschaften von fundamentaler Bedeutung und wird maßgeblich zu einer neuen Generation ultrakurzer Strahlungsquellen und freien Elektronenlasern (FELs) beitragen. / This thesis investigates the use of high-power lasers for synchrotron radiation sources with high brilliance, from the EUV to the hard X-ray spectral range. Hereby lasers accelerate electrons by laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), act as optical undulators, or both. Experimental evidence shows for the first time that LWFA electron bunches are shorter than the driving laser and have a length scale comparable to the plasma wavelength. Furthermore, a first proof of principle experiment demonstrates that LWFA electrons can be exploited to generate undulator radiation. Building upon these experimental findings, as well as extensive numerical simulations of Thomson scattering, the theoretical foundations of a novel interaction geometry for laser-matter interaction are developed. This new method is very general and when tailored towards relativistically moving targets not being limited by the focusability (Rayleigh length) of the laser, while it does not require a waveguide. In a theoretical investigation of Thomson scattering, the optical analogue of undulator radiation, the limits of Thomson sources in scaling towards higher peak brilliances are highlighted. This leads to a novel method for generating brilliant, highly tunable X-ray sources, which is highly energy efficient by circumventing the laser Rayleigh limit through a novel traveling-wave Thomson scattering (TWTS) geometry. This new method suggests increases in X-ray photon yields of 2-3 orders of magnitudes using existing lasers and a way towards efficient, optical undulators to drive a free-electron laser. The results presented here extend far beyond the scope of this work. The possibility to use lasers as particle accelerators, as well as optical undulators, leads to very compact and energy efficient synchrotron sources. The resulting monoenergetic radiation of high brilliance in a range from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to hard X-ray radiation is of fundamental importance for basic research, medical applications, material and life sciences and is going to significantly contribute to a new generation of radiation sources and free-electron lasers (FELs).