Channeling and Radiation of Electrons in Silicon Single Crystals and Si1−xGex Crystalline Undulators

The phenomenon of channeling and the basic features of channeling radiation emission are introduced in a pedestrian way. Both, radiation spectra as well as dechanneling length measurements at electron beam energies between 195 and 855 MeV feature quantum state phenomena for the (110) planar potential of the silicon single crystals. Radiation from a crystalline undulator, produced at the Aarhus University (UAAR), has been investigated at the Mainz Microtron electron accelerator facility MAMI. The 4-period epitaxially grown strained layer Si1−xGex undulator had a period length λu = 9.9 μm. At a beam energy of 375 MeV a broad excess yield around the theoretically expected photon energy of 0.132 MeV has been observed. Model calculations on the basis of synchrotron-like radiation emission suggest that evidence for a weak undulator effect has been observed.