Charged-particle-beam propagator in wave-electron optics: phase-space and tomographic pictures

Within the framework of the thermal-wave model, the quantumlike description of electron optics in terms of the propagator is given. First we briefly r eview the standard description in configuration space by analogy to quantum mechanics and in connection with recent investigations of charged-particle -beam transport that have used the concept of propagator. Then near insight s are given by extension of the analysis of the particle-beam propagator to the phase-space contest for which our system is described by the Wigner qu asi-distribution function, as well as to the tomography context for which o ur system is described by the marginal distribution. Furthermore, the integ rals of motion of a charged-particle beam and their relation to the propaga tor concept are discussed. Finally, the perturbation theory for a charged-p article-beam propagator is developed in the above-described two contexts an d is applied to some simple optical devices. (C) 2000 Optical Society of Am erica [S0740-3232(00)02412-1] OCIS codes: 000.1600, 080.2720, 100.6950, 080 .1010.