Generating Cylindrical Vector γ Rays via Beam-Target Interactions: Towards Structured Light at High Energies

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Cao, Yue, Xue, Kun, Liu, Si-Man, Li, Zhong-Peng, Hu, Li-Xiang, Liu, Xin-Yu, Dou, Zhen-Ke, Wan, Feng, Zhao, Qian, Yu, Tong-Pu, Li, Jian-Xing
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Cao, Yue
Xue, Kun
Liu, Si-Man
Li, Zhong-Peng
Hu, Li-Xiang
Liu, Xin-Yu
Dou, Zhen-Ke
Wan, Feng
Zhao, Qian
Yu, Tong-Pu
Li, Jian-Xing
author_facet Cao, Yue
Xue, Kun
Liu, Si-Man
Li, Zhong-Peng
Hu, Li-Xiang
Liu, Xin-Yu
Dou, Zhen-Ke
Wan, Feng
Zhao, Qian
Yu, Tong-Pu
Li, Jian-Xing
contents Structured γ rays, particularly cylindrical vector γ rays, offer promising tools for sub-nuclear imaging and polarization-sensitive probes in fundamental research and applications, but conventional optical methods face great challenges at such photon energy. Here, we put forward a novel method generating such γ rays through relativistic beam-target interactions. For instance, radially polarized γ rays can be generated by using a dense electron beam striking a multifoil target. We find that the radial polarization is transferred from the generated coherent transition radiation (CTR) fields to $γ$ photons through nonlinear Compton scattering, with the high polarization preserved by phase matching. Three-dimensional spin-resolved simulations demonstrate radial polarization degrees approaching 60\%. Furthermore, these γ rays can decay into azimuthally spin-polarized positrons via the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process, with their spins aligning along the CTR magnetic field. Our work extends the concept of structured light into the γ-ray regime, offering new prospects for broad fields such as nuclear structure probing, fundamental symmetries tests, polarization-sensitive studies in extreme conditions, and laboratory astrophysical observations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_16220
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Generating Cylindrical Vector γ Rays via Beam-Target Interactions: Towards Structured Light at High Energies
Cao, Yue
Xue, Kun
Liu, Si-Man
Li, Zhong-Peng
Hu, Li-Xiang
Liu, Xin-Yu
Dou, Zhen-Ke
Wan, Feng
Zhao, Qian
Yu, Tong-Pu
Li, Jian-Xing
Optics
Plasma Physics
Structured γ rays, particularly cylindrical vector γ rays, offer promising tools for sub-nuclear imaging and polarization-sensitive probes in fundamental research and applications, but conventional optical methods face great challenges at such photon energy. Here, we put forward a novel method generating such γ rays through relativistic beam-target interactions. For instance, radially polarized γ rays can be generated by using a dense electron beam striking a multifoil target. We find that the radial polarization is transferred from the generated coherent transition radiation (CTR) fields to $γ$ photons through nonlinear Compton scattering, with the high polarization preserved by phase matching. Three-dimensional spin-resolved simulations demonstrate radial polarization degrees approaching 60\%. Furthermore, these γ rays can decay into azimuthally spin-polarized positrons via the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process, with their spins aligning along the CTR magnetic field. Our work extends the concept of structured light into the γ-ray regime, offering new prospects for broad fields such as nuclear structure probing, fundamental symmetries tests, polarization-sensitive studies in extreme conditions, and laboratory astrophysical observations.
title Generating Cylindrical Vector γ Rays via Beam-Target Interactions: Towards Structured Light at High Energies
topic Optics
Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.16220