Beam steering and radiation generation of electrons in bent crystals in the sub-GeV domain

Abstract

Abstract We present an investigation into beam steering and radiation emission by sub-GeV electrons traversing a bent silicon crystal. Using 855, 600, and 300 MeV electron beams at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI), we explored orientational coherent effects in a 15- $$\upmu $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> </mml:math> m-thick silicon crystal bent along the (111) planes. Combined experimental and simulation analyses enabled the classification and quantitative assessment of the contributions from channeling, dechanneling, rechanneling, and volume capture to both beam deflection and radiation emission. Crystal steering remained effective even at 300 MeV, with measured channeling efficiencies exceeding 50%, a record at such low energies. Channeling and volume reflection enhanced radiation emission by up to a factor of six compared to the misaligned orientation, highlighting strong orientational coherence effects in the sub-GeV regime. These findings confirm the feasibility of using bent crystals for efficient beam manipulation and high-intensity photon generation at low energies, supporting the development of novel light sources and beam control strategies at accelerator facilities operating in this energy range.