The possibility in principle of improving the temporal resolution of electron-optical chronography

Electron-optical chronography is a direct method for determining the form of single radiation-pulses with temporal resolution better than 10 to the -10th sec. The method is based on the consecutive conversion of the temporal structure of the intensity of the pulse under investigation to the temporal structure of an electron-beam pulse, and then into a spatial-dependence of luminosity on a screen. In the present paper, it is shown that the dispersion of time of transit of photoelectrons from the photocathode to a reference plane of a deflecting system is caused by a dispersion of initial velocities, which, in principle, can be eliminated. The physical limitation of temporal resolution is associated with the principle of ambiguity and the thickness of the photocathode.