Characteristics and Applications of Channeling Radiation from Relativistic Electrons and Positrons

Relativistic electrons and positrons channeled in crystals radiate electromagnetic waves in relatively narrow spectral bands. The radiation is forward-directed, linearly polarized, and occurs in picosecond bursts. Photons in the 20 to 130 keV range are emitted by 50 MeV particles, and the emission spectrum varies with the incident particle energy. Several applications of channeling radiation are considered: to study the properties of crystals in which channeling occurs, to investigate aspects of the channeling phenomenon, and as a source of x-rays.