Tailoring electron vortex beams with customizable intensity patterns by electron diffraction holography

An electron vortex beam(EVB) carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM) plays a key role in a series of fundamental scientific researches, such as chiral energy-loss spectroscopy and magnetic dichroism spectroscopy. So far, almost all the experimentally created EVBs manifest isotropic doughnut intensity patterns. Here, based on the correlation between local divergence angle of electron beam and phase gradient along azimuthal direction, we show that free electrons can be tailored to EVBs with customizable intensity patterns independent of the carried OAM. As proof-of-concept, by using computer generated hologram and designing phase masks to shape the incident free electrons in the transmission electron microscope, three structured EVBs carrying identical OAM are tailored to exhibit completely different intensity patterns. Furthermore, through the modal decomposition, we quantitatively investigate their OAM spectral distributions and reveal that structured EVBs present a superposition of a series of different eigenstates induced by the locally varied geometries. These results not only generalize the concept of EVB, but also demonstrate an extra highly controllable degree of freedom for electron beam manipulation in addition to OAM.

A 1-bit electronically reconfigurable beam steerable metasurface reflectarray with multiple polarization manipulations

A 1-bit electronically controlled metasurface reflectarray is presented to achieve beam steering with multiple polarization manipulations. A metsurface unit cell loaded by two PIN diodes is designed. By switching the two PIN diodes between ON and OFF states, the isotropic and anisotropic reflections can be flexibly achieved. For either the isotropic reflection or the anisotropic reflection, the two operation states achieve the reflection coefficients with approximately equal magnitude and 180°out of phase, thus giving rise to the isotropic/anisotropic 1-bit metasurface unit cells. With the 1-bit unit cells, a 12-by-12 metasurface reflectarray is optimally designed and fabricated. Under either y-or x-polarized incident wave illumination, the reflectarray can achieve the co-polarized and cross-polarized beam scanning, respectively, with the peak gains of 20.08 d Bi and 17.26 d Bi within the scan range of about ±50°. With the right-handed circular polarization(RHCP) excitation, the left-handed circular polarization(LHCP) radiation with the peak gain of 16.98 d Bic can be achieved within the scan range of ±50°. Good agreement between the experimental results and the simulation results are observed for 2D beam steering and polarization manipulation capabilities.

A study of pulsed high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through synchronous optical trigger

In this study,a pulsed,high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through an optical trigger is designed with characteristics of simple structure,low cost,and easy triggering.To validate the new design,the characteristics of hollow-cathode discharge and electron beam characterization under pulsed high voltage drive are studied experimentally and discussed by discharge characteristics and analyses of waveform details,respectively.The validation experiments indicate that the pulsed high voltage supply significantly improves the frequency and stability of the discharge,which provides a new solution for the realization of a high-frequency,high-energy electron beam source.The peak current amplitude in the high-energy electron beam increases from 6.2 A to 79.6 A,which indicates the pulsed power mode significantly improves the electron beam performance.Besides,increasing the capacitance significantly affects the highcurrent,lower-energy electron beam more than the high-energy electron beam.

Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on Microstructure and Tribological Property Evolution of Electron Beam Melted Ti6Al4V

Cryogenic treatment was used to improve the tribological properties of Ti6Al4V artificial hip joint implants.Cryogenic treatment at-196℃with different holding time were carried out on Ti6Al4V specimens fabricated using electron beam melting(EBM),and their microstructure and tribological properties evolution were systematically analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),vickers hardness,and wear tests.The experimental results show that the as-fabricated specimen consists of lamellarαphase andβcolumnar crystal.While,the thickness of lamellarαphase decreased after cryogenic treatment.In addition,it can be found that the fineαphase was precipitated and dispersed between the lamellarαphase with the holding time increase.Vickers hardness shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing.The wear rate of the specimen cryogenic treated for 24 h is the minimum and the average friction coefficient is 0.50,which is reduced by 14.61%compared with the as-fabricated.The wear mechanism of the as-fabricated specimen is severe exfoliation,adhesive,abrasive,and slight fatigue wear.However,the specimen cryogenic treated for 24 h shows slight adhesive and abrasive wear.It can be concluded that it is feasibility of utilizing cryogenic treatment to reduce the wear of EBMed Ti6Al4V.

Real-time generation of circular patterns in electron beam lithography

Electron beam lithography(EBL)involves the transfer of a pattern onto the surface of a substrate byfirst scanning a thin layer of organicfilm(called resist)on the surface by a tightly focused and precisely controlled electron beam(exposure)and then selectively removing the exposed or nonexposed regions of the resist in a solvent(developing).It is widely used for fabrication of integrated cir-cuits,mask manufacturing,photoelectric device processing,and otherfields.The key to drawing circular patterns by EBL is the graphics production and control.In an EBL system,an embedded processor calculates and generates the trajectory coordinates for movement of the electron beam,and outputs the corresponding voltage signal through a digital-to-analog converter(DAC)to control a deflector that changes the position of the electron beam.Through this procedure,it is possible to guarantee the accuracy and real-time con-trol of electron beam scanning deflection.Existing EBL systems mostly use the method of polygonal approximation to expose circles.A circle is divided into several polygons,and the smaller the segmentation,the higher is the precision of the splicing circle.However,owing to the need to generate and scan each polygon separately,an increase in the number of segments will lead to a decrease in the overall lithography speed.In this paper,based on Bresenham’s circle algorithm and exploiting the capabilities of afield-programmable gate array and DAC,an improved real-time circle-producing algorithm is designed for EBL.The algorithm can directly generate cir-cular graphics coordinates such as those for a single circle,solid circle,solid ring,or concentric ring,and is able to effectively realizes deflection and scanning of the electron beam for circular graphics lithography.Compared with the polygonal approximation method,the improved algorithm exhibits improved precision and speed.At the same time,the point generation strategy is optimized to solve the blank pixel and pseudo-pixel problems that arise with Bresenham’s circle algorithm.A complete electron beam deflection system is established to carry out lithography experiments,the results of which show that the error between the exposure results and the preset pat-terns is at the nanometer level,indicating that the improved algorithm meets the requirements for real-time control and high precision of EBL.

Generation and Suppression of Pendant Droplet Oscillation in Electron Beam Directed Energy Deposition

Electron beam–directed energy deposition(EB–DED)has emerged as a promising wire-based metal additive manufacturing technique.However,the effects of EBs on pendant droplets at wire tips have not yet been determined.The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of this action by analyzing the mechanism of droplet oscillation.The pendant droplet oscillation phenomenon hinders the stable transfer of droplets to the molten pool and limits the feasibility of manufacturing complex lattice structures by EB–DED.Hence,another aim of this study is to create an oscillation suppression method.An escalating asymmetric amplitude is the main characteristic of droplet oscillation.The primary oscillationinducing force is the recoil force generated from the EB-acted local surface of the droplet.The physical mechanism of this force is the rapid increase and uneven distribution of the local surface temperature caused by the partial action of the EB.The prerequisites for droplet oscillation include vacuum conditions,high power densities,and bypass wire feeding processes.The proposed EB–dynamic surrounding melting(DSM)method can be applied to conveniently and effectively suppress oscillations,enable the accurate transfer of droplets to the molten pool,and achieve stable processes for preparing the strut elements of lattice structures.Lowering the temperature and improving the uniformity of its distribution are the mechanisms of oscillation suppression in EB–DSM.In this study,the physical basis for interpreting the mechanism by which EBs act on droplets and the technical basis for using EB–DED to prepare complex lattice structure parts are provided.

High-energy-density electron beam generation in ultra intense laser-plasma interaction

By using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation,we demonstrate a scheme for highenergy-density electron beam generation by irradiating an ultra intense laser pulse onto an aluminum（Al） target.With the laser having a peak intensity of 4×10^23W cm^-2,a high quality electron beam with a maximum density of 117 nc and a kinetic energy density up to8.79×10^18J m^-3 is generated.The temperature of the electron beam can be 416 Me V,and the beam divergence is only 7.25°.As the laser peak intensity increases（e.g.,1024 W cm^-2）,both the beam energy density（3.56×10^19J m^-3） and the temperature（545 Me V） are increased,and the beam collimation is well controlled.The maximum density of the electron beam can even reach 180 nc.Such beams should have potential applications in the areas of antiparticle generation,laboratory astrophysics,etc.

Divergence angle consideration in energy spread measurement for high-quality relativistic electron beam in laser wakefield acceleration

The thorough exploration of the transverse quality represented by divergence angle has been lacking yet in the energy spread measurement of the relativistic electron beam for laser wakefield acceleration(LWFA). In this work, we fill this gap by numerical simulations based on the experimental data, which indicate that in a C-shape magnet, magnetic field possesses the beam focusing effect, considering that the divergence angle will result in an increase in the full width at half maxima(FWHM) of the electron density distribution in a uniformly isotropic manner, while the length-to-width ratio decreases. This indicates that the energy spread obtained from the electron deflection distance is smaller than the actual value, regardless of the divergence angle. A promising and efficient way to accurately correct the value is presented by considering the divergence angle(for instance, for an electron beam with a length-to-width ratio of 1.12, the energy spread correct from 1.2% to 1.5%), providing a reference for developing the high-quality electron beam source.

Selective linear etching of monolayer black phosphorus using electron beams

Point and line defects are of vital importance to the physical and chemical properties of certain two-dimensional(2D)materials.Although electron beams have been demonstrated to be capable of creating single-and multi-atom defects in 2D materials,the products are often random and difficult to predict without theoretical inputs.In this study,the thermal motion of atoms and electron incident angle were additionally considered to study the vacancy evolution in a black phosphorus(BP)monolayer by using an improved first-principles molecular dynamics method.The P atoms in monolayer BP tend to be struck away one by one under an electron beam within the displacement threshold energy range of 8.55-8.79 eV,which ultimately induces the formation of a zigzag-like chain vacancy.The chain vacancy is a thermodynamically metastable state and is difficult to obtain by conventional synthesis methods because the vacancy formation energy of 0.79 eV/edge atom is higher than the typical energy in monolayer BP.Covalent-like quasi-bonds and a charge density wave are formed along the chain vacancy,exhibiting rich electronic properties.This work proposes a theoretical protocol for simulating a complete elastic collision process of electron beams with 2D layers and will facilitate the establishment of detailed theoretical guidelines for experiments on 2D material etching using focused high-energy electron beams.

Forming of Space Charge Wave with Broad Frequency Spectrum in Helical Relativistic Two-Stream Electron Beams

We elaborate a quadratic nonlinear theory of plural interactions of growing space charge wave （SCW） harmonics during the development of the two-stream instability in helical relativistic electron beams. It is found that in helical two-stream electron beams the growth rate of the two-stream instability increases with the beam entrance angle. An SCW with the broad frequency spectrum, in which higher harmonics have higher amplitudes, forms when the frequency of the first SCW harmonic is much less than the critical frequency of the two-stream instability. For helical electron beams the spectrum expands with the increase of the beam entrance angle. Moreover, we obtain that utilizing helical electron beams in multiharmonic two-stream superheterodyne free-electron lasers leads to the improvement of their amplification characteristics, the frequency spectrum broadening in multiharmonic signal generation mode, and the reduction of the overall system dimensions.

Direct acceleration of electrons using two crossed Laguerre-Gaussian laser beams in vacuum

The basic physical characteristics of electrons accelerated by two linearly polarized and circularly symmetric crossed Laguerre-Gaussian （LG） laser beams with equal frequency and amplitude in vacuum are studied in detail. The condition, under which electrons can be accelerated effectively, and the energy gain are discussed.

A Numerical Fluid Analysis for Early Nonlinear Mode Evolution of Fast Electron Beams in Dense Plasmas

Nonlinear mode evolution for relativistic electrons in dense plasmas is analyzed in a three-dimensional fluid approach. Similar to the results previously obtained in particle-in-cell simulations, it is found that oblique modes dominate two-stream and filamentation modes in the linear stage. On the other hand a power spectrum analysis shows the nonlinear development of the high wavenumber modes.

Electron acceleration by two crossed Bessel-Gaussian beams in vacuum

The direct acceleration of electrons by using two linearly polarized crossed Bessel-Gaussian （BG） beams with equal frequency and amplitude in vacuum is proposed and studied. It is shown that two linearly polarized BG beams of the same order （0 or 1） with a π-rad phase difference have a resultant non-zero longitudinal electric field on the z-axis and can be used, in principle, to accelerate electrons.

High-flux electron beams from laser wakefield accelerators driven by petawatt lasers

Laser wakefield accelerators （LWFAs） are considered to be one of the most compeuuve next- generation accelerator candidates. In this paper, we will study the potential high-flux electron beam production of an LWFA driven by petawatt-level laser pulses. In our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, an optimal set of parameters gives -40 nC of charge with 2 PW laser power, thus -400 kA of instantaneous current if we assume the electron beam duration is 100 fs. This high flux and its secondary radiation are widely applicable in nuclear and QED physics, industrial imaging, medical and biological studies.

Technical Note: The Uses of I’mRT MatriXX in Electron Beams

Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the properties of I’mRT MatriXX device in electron beams, and to validate MatriXX in electron dosimetry and quality assurance (QA). Methods: The measurements were conducted using MatriXX in electron and photon beams from Siemens linacs. The MatriXX was placed horizontally on the linac tabletop. Solid Water layers were used for buildup. For all the measurements, the linac gantry angle was 0?, and the source-to-surface distance was100 cmfrom the Solid Water surface. The electron cone factors, cutout factors, and beam profiles were measured and compared with thimble ionization chamber results. Results: The effective water equivalent depth of MatriXX measurement point is larger than4 mm. When measuring at the respective depths of maximum dose, MatriXX has different responses to different beam energies. The cone factors measured by MatriXX are nearly identical or close to those derived by ionization chambers. Beam profiles (flatness and symmetry) can be easily determined using MatriXX and are comparable to water tank results. The planar dose map of electron cutout blocks can be visually observed, and the cutout factors can be conveniently measured. Conclusions: The MatriXX needs separate dose calibration factors for electron and photon beams. MatriXX can be used to measure electron cutout factors and beam profiles, thus has the potentials in electron beam dosimetry and routine linac and patient-specific QA tests.

Multi-layer structure formation of relativistic electron beams in plasmas

A two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation model is proposed to study the density evolution and collective stopping of electron beams in background plasmas.We show here the formation of the multi-layer structure of the relativistic electron beam in the plasma due to the different betatron frequency from the beam front to the beam tail.Meanwhile,the nonuniformity of the longitudinal wakefield is the essential reason for the multi-layer structure formation in beam phase space.The influences of beam parameters(beam radius and transverse density profile)on the formation of the multi-layer structure and collective stopping in background plasmas are also considered.

Comparison of Calculated Fit and Experimental Calculations of Average Dose Deposited in Aluminum by High Energy Electron Beams

This paper presents the formalism for absorbed dose determination to Aluminum in high-energy electron beams using Rhodotron accelerator. Depth dose curve for Aluminum at electron energy of 10 MeV was calculated. The calculated curve in the model as a function of the depth is compared to the experimental. The agreement of the final results remained well within the expected acceptable range. The calculated values of dose-to-Aluminum are completely fit with the measured values in the range of 0.07% for electron energy of 10 MeV.

Comparing Nasal Cavity Radiotherapy Using Electron, Photon, Proton and Photon-Electron Beams

Aim: Electron, photon or proton beams are used in radiotherapy for cancer treatment while each one may be used depending on depth and the location of tumor and normal tissues around the treatment target as well as economic issues. Materials and Methods: In this research, dose distribution by proton was measured by film dosimetry in nasal cavity Plexiglas phantom and Monte Carlo simulation. Then the DVH of treatment target and the posterior of treatment target of different beams were compared. The energies of electron, photon and proton were 9 MeV, 6 MV, and maximum 65 MeV, respectively. Due to a depth of 3.5 cm of CTV (Clinical Target Volume), Modulation Range was between 0 - 3.5 cm and SOBP (Spread-out Bragg Peak) was between 0 - 65 MeV. Results: Comparing the obtained DVH values, 95% dose coverage of target volume for electron, photon, proton and Photon-Electron beams were 88%, 98%, 98%, and 95%, respectively. However, doses above 40% that reached outside the target were 50%, 82%, 5%, and 44%, respectively. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the superiority of proton therapy in nasal cancer due to its better target volume coverage and the less amount of the dose reaching outside the target that is because of dose discharge in a small area and significant dose fall-off after Bragg peak.

Radiation dose enhancement in skin therapy with nanoparticle addition: A Monte Carlo study on kilovoltage photon and megavoltage electron beams

AIMTo investigated the dose enhancement due to the incorporation of nanoparticles in skin therapy using the kilovoltage (kV) photon and megavoltage (MV) electron beams. Monte Carlo simulations were used to predict the dose enhancement when different types and concentrations of nanoparticles were added to skin target layers of varying thickness.METHODSClinical kV photon beams (105 and 220 kVp) and MV electron beams (4 and 6 MeV), produced by a Gulmay D3225 orthovoltage unit and a Varian 21 EX linear accelerator, were simulated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code. Doses at skin target layers with thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm for the photon beams and 0.5 to 10 mm for the electron beams were determined. The skin target layer was added with the Au, Pt, I, Ag and Fe2O3 nanoparticles with concentrations ranging from 3 to 40 mg/mL. The dose enhancement ratio (DER), defined as the dose at the target layer with nanoparticle addition divided by the dose at the layer without nanoparticle addition, was calculated for each nanoparticle type, nanoparticle concentration and target layer thickness.RESULTSIt was found that among all nanoparticles, Au had the highest DER (5.2-6.3) when irradiated with kV photon beams. Dependence of the DER on the target layer thickness was not significant for the 220 kVp photon beam but it was for 105 kVp beam for Au nanoparticle concentrations higher than 18 mg/mL. For other nanoparticles, the DER was dependent on the atomic number of the nanoparticle and energy spectrum of the photon beams. All nanoparticles showed an increase of DER with nanoparticle concentration during the photon beam irradiations regardless of thickness. For electron beams, the Au nanoparticles were found to have the highest DER (1.01-1.08) when the beam energy was equal to 4 MeV, but this was drastically lower than the DER values found using photon beams. The DER was also found affected by the depth of maximum dose of the electron beam and target thickness. For other nanoparticles with lower atomic number, DERs in the range of 0.99-1.02 were found using the 4 and 6 MeV electron beams.CONCLUSIONIn nanoparticle-enhanced skin therapy, Au nanoparticle addition can achieve the highest dose enhancement with 105 kVp photon beams. Electron beams, while popular for skin therapy, did not produce as high dose enhancements as kV photon beams. Additionally, the DER is dependent on nanoparticle type, nanoparticle concentration, skin target thickness and energies of the photon and electron beams.

Dosimetric study comparing photon and electron beams for boosting the tumor bed in early-stage breast cancer

Objective： The aim of our study was to assess and compare the potential dosimetric advantages and drawbacks of photon beams and electron beams as a boost for the tumor bed in superficial and deep seated early-stage breast cancer. Methods： We planned CTs of 10 women with early breast cancer underwent breast conservative surgery were selected. Tumor bed was defined as superficial and deep with a cut of point 4 cm, those with less than 4 cm were defined as superficial tumors representing 4 patients and those with depth of 4 cm or more were classified as deep tumors representing 6 patients. The clinical target volume （C＇I＇V） was defined as the area of architectural .distortion surrounded by surgical clips. The plan- ning target volume （PTV） was the C＇I＇V plus margin 1 cm. A dose of 10 Gy.in 2 Gy fractions was given concurrently at the last week of treatment. Organs at risk （OARs） were heart, lungs, contra-lateral breast and a 5 mm thick skin segment of the breast surface. Dose volume histograms were defined to quantify the quality of concurrent treatment plans assessing target coverage and sparing OARs. The following treatment techniques were assessed： photon beam with 3D-conformal technique and a single electron beam. Results： For superficial tumors better coverage for CTV and P＇I＇V with good homogeneity with better CI was found for the 3D conformal radiotherapy （3DCRT） but with no significant planning objectives over electron beam. For deep tumors, the 3DCRT met the planning objectives for C＇I＇V, PTV with better coverage and fewer hot spots with better homogeneity and CI. For superficial tumors, OARs were spared by both techniques with better sparing for the electron beam where as for deep tumors also OARs were well spared by both techniques. Conclusion： Boosting the tumor bed in early- stage breast cancer with optimized photon may be preferred to electron beam for both superficial and deep tumors. The OARs dose sparing effect may allow for a potential long-term toxicity risk reduction and better cosmesis.