Backward transition radiation in the extreme ultraviolet region as a tool for the transverse beam profile diagnostic

The present article summarizes the results of two experiments which were performed to study the radiation properties of backward transition radiation (BTR) in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region. This wavelength region is of particular interest for transverse beam profile imaging, because the spatial resolution is improved as a result of the reduced contribution in the imaging process of the fundamental diffraction limit. In addition, the influence of coherent effects in the transition radiation emission process, which have been observed in the visible region, might be mitigated. The first experiment, dedicated to the investigation of the BTR angular characteristics, indicates that the radiation yield in the EUV region is higher than theoretically expected and that it is even comparable to the yield in the visible region. The second measurement was devoted to transverse beam profile imaging based on quasimonochromatic BTR, in both the EUV and the visible region, and is a proof-of-principle experiment demonstrating that EUV BTR is a suitable candidate for standard beam profile diagnostics.