Diffraction Radiation for Non-Invasive, High-Resolution Beam Size Measurements in Future Linear Colliders

Next generation linear colliders such as the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) or the International Linear Collider (ILC) will accelerate particle beams with extremely small emittance. The high current and small size of the beam (micron-scale) due to such small emittance require non-invasive, high-resolution techniques for beam diagnostics. Diffraction Radiation (DR), a polarization radiation that appears when a charged particle moves in the vicinity of a medium, is an ideal candidate being non-invasive and allowing beams as small as a few tens of microns to be measured. Since DR is sensitive to beam parameters other than the transverse profile (e.g. its divergence and position), preparatory simulations have been performed with realistic beam parameters. A new dedicated instrument was installed in the KEK-ATF2 beam line in February 2016. At present DR is observed in the visible wavelength range, with an upgrade to the ultraviolet (200nm) planned for spring 2017 to optimize sensitivity to smaller beam sizes. Presented here are the latest results of these DR beam size measurements and simulations.