Laser Wire Scanner: Basic Process and Perspectives for the CTF's and CLIC Machines

In a laser wire scanner, the basic idea is to replace the solid wire classically used in a standard wire scanner by a narrow laser beam. The basic process involved is the Thomson-Compton scattering process, where photons are scattered from the laser beam by the incoming electrons. By counting the number of scattered photons or degraded electrons as a function of laser position the bunch profile can be reconstructed. In this note the Compton scattering mechanism is first presented. In the framework of the CLIC project, a laser wire scanner (LWS) could be used as a non-interfering beam profile measurement both on the Drive Beam for a high current electron beam and on the Main Beam for very small electron beam sizes. A design for a LWS on the CTF2 and CTF3 machines is proposed and some considerations for the use of a LWS on the CLIC main beam are also mentioned.