THz Smith–Purcell and grating transition radiation from metasurface: experiment and theory

We report the results of experimental and theoretical studies of monochromatic coherent terahertz radiation generated by a short relativistic electron bunch interacting with a metasurface. The metasurface consists of subwavelength metal elements arranged on a dielectric substrate. The constructed theory explains the experimental spectra of Smith–Purcell radiation and grating transition radiation with very high precision. The orientational distribution of transition radiation shows a fine structure, which, as we suppose, may be due to contribution of coupling between the metasurface’s elements.