Generation of incoherent Cherenkov diffraction radiation in synchrotrons

Incoherent Cherenkov diffraction radiation was recently produced in the Cornell electron storage ring using counterpropagating beams (electrons and positrons) passing in the close vicinity of a dielectric made of fused silica. We present in this paper a collection of the experimental investigations that were performed on Cherenkov diffraction radiation in both the infrared and the visible range. Measurements were performed using an optical system functioning either in imaging conditions or in far field conditions to retrieve the angular distribution of the radiation. Polarization studies were also performed and showed that, when selecting the appropriate polarization, the beam size can be measured accurately. This study opens the path for new applications in noninvasive beam diagnostic for highly relativistic charged particle beams.