A theory of quasi-channeling phenomenon and radiation in systems of macroscopic extent

The theory of electron and positron channeling and radiation production in crystals has been extended to macroscopic-scale systems. The new theory, named QCP theory, examines macroscopic system that exhibit periodicity along the axis of beam propagation, specifically, periodic electrostatic fields; the dimensions of the field periodicity are much greater than typical interatomic lattice spacing but much smaller than a typical wiggler magnet spacing wavelength. The feasibility of a laser based on this predicted new phenomenon and its associated radiation is examined. Differences between the properties of the proposed quasi-channeling radiation and radiation produced by wigglers and free-electron lasers (FELs) are discussed. System lengths a factor of 103 shorter than FELs are expected, with favorable scaling for below 500-eV laser-photon output energies. A 500-eV QCP laser system with a gain of one and a length of one meter is predicted, based on extrapolations of existing storage-ring technology