Image charge undulator: theoretical model and technical issues

A relativistic electron beam undergoes undulating motion due to its image charge wakefields while passing close to a conducting grating surface. A new device, an image charge undulator, has been proposed recently to utilize this mechanism for generating coherent hard radiation. We demonstrate the physics principle of this device by a 2D model of a uniform sheet beam. The transverse image charge wakefields, synchrotron radiation frequency and coherent radiation gain length are presented. We discuss a proof-of-principle experiment that takes into consideration such technical issues as grating fabrication, flat beams and beam alignment.