Stimulated magneto-Compton scattering: a possible tunable far infrared and millimeter wave source

Several authors have considered the possibility of using stimulated Compton scattering as a source of tunable coherent far infrared radiation. For a finite photon-electron interaction region, it is known that the gain is small. It is shown that there is a significant increase in the photon-electron scattering cross section and hence in the gain when the scattering is performed resonantly in a longitudinal dc magnetic field. It is found that under these conditions appreciable gain is available for pulsed operation. (U.S.)