Simulation and measurement of the dynamics of ultra-short electron bunch profiles for the generation of coherent THz radiation

The shape of an electron bunch has a tremendous impact on its emission of synchrotron radiation. Especially the formation of sub-structures can increase the yield in the THz region. This thesis investigates the micro-bunching instability, a mechanism where structures form due to self-interaction of the electrons with their own wake-field. The methods include simulation and measurements. On the simulation side, the thesis describes the optimization of simulation algorithms to increase numerical stability as well as computational performance. On the experimental side, an optimized monitor for single-shot bunch profile measurements was designed to allow continuous bunch profile measurements with high signal-to-noise ratio and a sub-ps resolution at 2.7 MHz repetition rate.