Generating optical orbital angular momentum in a high-gain free-electron laser at the first harmonic

A scheme to generate intense coherent light that carries orbital angular momentum (OAM) at the fundamental wavelength of an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL) is described. The OAM light is emitted as the dominant mode of the system until saturation provided that the helical microbunching imposed on the electron beam is larger than the shot-noise bunching that leads to self-amplified emission. Operating at the fundamental, this scheme is more efficient than alternate schemes that rely on harmonic emission, and can be applied to x-ray FELs without using external optical mode conversion elements.     

Efficiency enhancement in free-electron lasers by means of concurrent rf acceleration

Efficiency enhancement in free-electron lasers (FELs) using rf beam acceleration in the wiggler is described. Since the beam tube is a waveguide, there are low and high frequency resonances. Injection of low frequency power can act as an inverse-FEL accelerator concurrently with high frequency power extraction. Simulation of a FEL using this technique shows that substantial efficiency enhancements are possible without significant increases in the beam energy spread, which facilitates the use of energy recovery schemes. The technique is applicable to amplifier and oscillator configurations.     

Multiwavelength anomalous diffraction at high x-ray intensity

The multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) method is used to determine phase information in x-ray crystallography by employing anomalous scattering from heavy atoms. X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) show promise for revealing the structure of single molecules or nanocrystals, but the phase problem remains largely unsolved. Because of the ultrabrightness of x-ray FEL, samples experience severe electronic radiation damage, especially to heavy atoms, which hinders direct implementation of MAD with x-ray FELs. Here, we propose a generalized version of MAD phasing at high x-ray intensity. We demonstrate the existence of a Karle-Hendrickson-type equation in the high-intensity regime and calculate relevant coefficients with detailed electronic damage dynamics of heavy atoms. The present method offers a potential for ab initio structural determination in femtosecond x-ray nanocrystallography.     

Low emittance, high brilliance relativistic electron beams from a laser-plasma accelerator

Progress in laser wakefield accelerators indicates their suitability as a driver of compact free-electron lasers (FELs). High brightness is defined by the normalized transverse emittance, which should be less than 1π mm mrad for an x-ray FEL. We report high-resolution measurements of the emittance of 125 MeV, monoenergetic beams from a wakefield accelerator. An emittance as low as 1.1±0.1π mm mrad is measured using a pepper-pot mask. This sets an upper limit on the emittance, which is comparable with conventional linear accelerators. A peak transverse brightness of 5×101? A m?1 rad?1 makes it suitable for compact XUV FELs.     

Optimization of single-step tapering amplitude and energy detuning for high-gain FELs

We put forward a method to optimize the single-step tapering amplitude of undulator strength and initial energy tuning of electron beam to maximize the saturation power of high gain free-electron lasers(FELs),based on the physics of longitudinal electron beam phase space. Using the FEL simulation code GENESIS,we numerically demonstrate the accuracy of the estimations for parameters corresponding to the linac coherent light source and the Tesla test facility.     

High-gain lasing and polarization switch with a distributed optical-klystron free-electron laser

This Letter reports the first experimental results from the world's first distributed optical-klystron (DOK) free-electron laser (FEL), the DOK-1 FEL, at Duke University. The DOK-1 FEL is a hybrid system, comprised of four wigglers: two horizontal and two helical. With the DOK-1 FEL, we have obtained the highest FEL gain among all storage ring based FELs at 47.8% (+/-2.7%) per pass. We have also demonstrated that the FEL gain can be enhanced by increasing electron bunching using wigglers with a different polarization. Furthermore, we have realized controlled polarization switches of the FEL beam by a nonoptical means through the manipulation of a buncher magnet.     

Realizable free-electron lasers

We analyze the general class of constant period free-electron lasers (FELs) based on single-pass linear accelerator technology. The emittance and energy spread of the electron beam used to drive an FEL must be chosen to match the acceptance of the FEL wiggler. This acceptance determines the attainable current, and the current determines the gain and power output. For an optimized system in which the optical mode size in the interaction region is minimized, the gain is found to be independent of the laser length, while the efficiency and power output scale as the inverse and inverse cube of the length. Very high power output and good efficiencies are predicted.Work supported by the Office of Naval Research     

Phase‐merging enhanced harmonic generation free‐electron laser with a normal modulator

A phase‐merging enhanced harmonic generation free‐electron laser (FEL) was proposed to increase the harmonic conversion efficiency of seeded FELs and promote the radiation wavelength towards the X‐ray spectral region. However, this requires a specially designed transverse gradient undulator (TGU) as the modulator to couple the transverse and longitudinal phase space of the electron beam. In this paper, the generation of the phase‐merging effect is explored using the natural field gradient of a normal planar undulator. In this method, a vertical dispersion on the electron beam is introduced and then the dispersed beam travels through a normal modulator in a vertical off‐axis orbit where the vertical field gradient is selected properly in terms of the vertical dispersion strength and modulation amplitude. The phase‐merging effect will be generated after passing through the dispersive chicane. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations for a seeded soft X‐ray FEL based on parameters of the Shanghai Soft X‐ray FEL project are presented. Compared with a TGU modulator, using the natural gradient of a normal planar modulator has the distinct advantage that the gradient can be conveniently tuned in quite a large range by adjusting the beam orbit offset.     

自由电子激光的单粒子理论及其应用

本文建立了圆极化摇摆场自由电子激光的单粒子理论,导出了电子未扰轨道及其稳定性判据和自由电子激光单程增益的表达式。单程增益由三项构成,其中第一项即自由电子激光不稳定性的增益与动力学理论得到的指数增益相符。第二项和和三项表明存在一对新的不稳定性——正不稳定性和负不稳定性。该理论没有对电子未扰轨道纵向速度作任何假设,不仅可以更合理地用于常规自由电子激光的研究,而且可以用于短周期摇摆器弱相对论自由电子激光研究。后者由于电子未扰轨道纵向速度比较低,已有的单粒子理论中所作的电子纵向速度约等于光速的假设不再成立。借助数值分析,我们发现:(1)稳定轨道Ⅱ的弱导引场区域也出现了动力学理论描述过的与自由电子激光互作用机理相悖的现象。(2)正不稳定性和负不稳定性在稳定轨道Ⅰ的导引磁场临界值附近可能严重影响自由电子激光的工作。(3)可以使用较弱的短周期摇摆场和较强的导引场产生高频率高增益相干受激辐射。     

Near-infrared storage ring free electron laser experiments at AIST

The development of free electron lasers (FELs) with a compact storage ring NIJI-IV in the near- and middle-infrared regions has been advanced at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The optical klystron ETLOK-III was installed in one of the long straight sections of the NIJI-IV, and spontaneous emission spectra were observed in the visible and near-infrared regions. Optical cavity chambers for infrared FELs were installed this February, and it was confirmed that the vibration amplitude of the optical cavity chambers was below 0.5 μm in an optical beam axis. FEL experiments in the near-infrared region will be performed this winter.     

Two‐color operation of a free‐electron laser with a tilted beam

With the successful operation of free‐electron lasers (FELs) as user facilities there has been a growing demand for experiments with two photon pulses with variable photon energy and time separation. A configuration of an undulator with variable‐gap control and a delaying chicane in the middle of the beamline is proposed. An injected electron beam with a transverse tilt will only yield FEL radiation for the parts which are close to the undulator axis. This allows, after re‐aligning and delaying the electron beam, a different part of the bunch to be used to produce a second FEL pulse. This method offers independent control in photon energy and delay. For the parameters of the soft X‐ray beamline Athos at the SwissFEL facility the photon energy tuning range is a factor of five with an adjustable delay between the two pulses from ?50 to 950 fs.     

Design considerations for table-top, laser-based VUV and X-ray free electron lasers

A recent breakthrough in laser-plasma accelerators, based upon ultrashort high-intensity lasers, demonstrated the generation of quasi-monoenergetic GeV-electrons. With future Petawatt lasers ultra-high beam currents of ∼100 kA in ∼10 fs can be expected, allowing for drastic reduction in the undulator length of free-electron-lasers (FELs). We present a discussion of the key aspects of a table-top FEL design, including energy loss and chirps induced by space-charge and wakefields. These effects become important for an optimized table-top FEL operation. A first proof-of-principle VUV case is considered as well as a table-top X-ray-FEL which may also open a brilliant light source for new methods in clinical diagnostics. PACS 41.60.Cr; 52.38.Kd     

A high-power millimeter-wave sheet beam free-electron laseramplifier

The results of experiments with a short period (9.6 mm) wiggler sheet electron beam (1.0 mm×2.0 cm) millimeter-wave free electron laser (FEL) amplifier are presented. This FEL amplifier utilized a strong wiggler field for sheet beam confinement in the narrow beam dimension and an offset-pole side-focusing technique for the wide dimension beam confinement. The beam analysis herein includes finite emittance and space-charge effects. High-current beam propagation was achieved as a result of extensive analytical studies and experimental optimization. A design optimization resulted in a low sensitivity to structure errors and beam velocity spread, as well as a low required beam energy. A maximum gain of 24 dB was achieved with a 1-kW injected signal power at 86 GHz, a 450-kV beam voltage, 17-A beam current, 3.8-kG wiggler magnetic field, and a 74-period wiggler length. The maximum gain with a one-watt injected millimeter-wave power was observed to be over 30 dB. The lower gain at higher injection power level indicates that the device has approached saturation. The device was studied over a broad range or experimental parameters. The experimental results have a good agreement with expectations from a one-dimensional simulation code. The successful operation of this device has proven the feasibility of the original concept and demonstrated the advantages of the sheet beam FEL amplifier. The results of the studies will provide guidelines for the future development of sheet beam FELs and/or other kinds of sheet beam devices     

Generation of Coherent Radiation in the Near X-Ray Band by a Cascade FEL with a Two-Frequency Undulator

Generation of X-ray radiation in a cascade self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (SASE FEL) using the harmonics of a two-frequency undulator is studied. The advanced phenomenological model of a one-pass FEL that accounts for the main losses in real FELs is presented: the electron energy spread in the beam, the beam divergence, diffraction, and the fact that emission losses are greater at higher harmonics than in the main frequency range. The FEL mathematical model was performed using the Mathematica software and calibrated within the experiment carried out at the operating SPARC facility via complex three-dimensional numerical simulations. The phenomenological model is used to analyze FEL dynamics for generation of a high-energy X-ray emission at a relatively short length. It is proposed to use a two-frequency undulator for the initial electron grouping and subsequent frequency multiplication in a cascade FEL with higher harmonic amplification (HGHG). The advantages of the two-frequency undulator are presented for electron grouping at higher harmonics of the undulator radiation (UR). The operation of several types of FEL is simulated with amplification of the seed laser wave frequency in two and three cascades to generate the soft X-ray radiation. A seed laser with a wavelength of 11.43 nm corresponding to the peak reflectivity of mirror coatings with MoRu/Be is proposed for generating the intensive X-ray laser radiation with λ ~ 1.27–3.37 nm. Here, the intensive radiation power reaches 50 MW at a length of only 35 meters; the radiation shows good temporal coherence corresponding to the performance of a low-power seed laser with a lower frequency.     

Mode-selective amplification in a waveguide free electron laserwith a two-sectioned wiggler

One important issue in waveguide free electron lasers (FELs) involves an interaction of the electron beam with one waveguide mode at two different resonant frequencies. Since the low-frequency mode often has a higher pain, the usually preferred high-frequency mode is suppressed as a result of mode competition. In this paper, possible control of this mode competition is considered using a nonstandard wiggler magnet consisting of two cascaded wiggler sections with different periods and field strengths. It is demonstrated that with an appropriate differentiation between the two wiggler sections the high-frequency mode may be amplified preferentially. This mode-selective amplification may be used to suppress the low-frequency mode. A small signal gain formulation is developed for a waveguide FEL with such a two-sectioned wiggler arrangement and numerical examples are used to demonstrate its applicability to mode control in waveguide FELs. Effects of wiggler field errors and electron energy spread are also considered. It is shown that the requirement for wiggler field errors and electron energy spread in the two-sectioned wiggler arrangement is similar to that in the usual straight wiggler configuration     

Electron beam brightness in linac drivers for free-electron-lasers

Linear accelerators delivering high brightness electron beams are essential for a number of current and proposed accelerator applications, such as free electron lasers (FELs). In this kind of facilities the charge density is high enough to drive collective effects (wakefields) that, notwithstanding the high beam rigidity at energies up to the GeV range, may increase the beam emittance relative to the injection level, eventually degrading the nominal beam brightness. New theoretical developments and experimental capabilities, driven by the recent construction of vacuum-ultra-violet and X-ray linac-driven FELs, have advanced the present knowledge. This article describes the progress in the field of ultra-relativistic electron beam manipulation to maximize the final beam brightness, with a focus on the most recent techniques including optics design, pulse shaping and brightness optimization strategies. The theoretical models are supported by a review of the experimental results in now-running FEL facilities.     

Numerical modeling of thermal loading of diamond crystal in X-ray FEL oscillators

Due to high reflectivity and high resolution of X-ray pulses, diamond is one of the most popular Bragg crystals serving as the reflecting mirror and mono-chromator in the next generation of free electron lasers(FELs).The energy deposition of X-rays will result in thermal heating, and thus lattice expansion of the diamond crystal,which may degrade the performance of X-ray FELs. In this paper, the thermal loading effect of diamond crystal for X-ray FEL oscillators has been systematically studied by combined simulation with Geant4 and ANSYS, and its dependence on the environmental temperature, crystal size, X-ray pulse repetition rate and pulse energy are presented. Our results show that taking the thermal loading effects into account, X-ray FEL oscillators are still robust and promising with an optimized design.     

相干谐波储存环自由电子激光

相干谐波自由电子激光不用光学谐振腔及反射镜,可望工作在紫外和真空紫外光波段,是第四代同步辐射光源的可能途径之一。由于对束流品质要求很高,相干谐波自由电子激光首先是以储存环作为驱动器而发展起来的。由于光阴极微波电子枪的发展和直线加速器技术的进步,目前,已开始有直线加速器驱动的高增益相干谐波自由电子激光的建议。文章介绍了相干谐波储存环自由电子激光的原理、现状及展望。     

Interaction of a relativistic dense electron beam with a laser wiggler in a vacuum: self‐field effects on the electron orbits and free‐electron laser gain

Employing laser wigglers and accelerators provides the potential to dramatically cut the size and cost of X‐ray light sources. Owing to recent technological developments in the production of high‐brilliance electron beams and high‐power laser pulses, it is now conceivable to make steps toward the practical realisation of laser‐pumped X‐ray free‐electron lasers (FELs). In this regard, here the head‐on collision of a relativistic dense electron beam with a linearly polarized laser pulse as a wiggler is studied, in which the laser wiggler can be realised using a conventional quantum laser. In addition, an external guide magnetic field is employed to confine the electron beam against self‐fields, therefore improving the FEL operation. Conditions allowing such an operating regime are presented and its relevant validity checked using a set of general scaling formulae. Rigorous analytical solutions of the dynamic equations are provided. These solutions are verified by performing calculations using the derived solutions and well known Runge–Kutta procedure to simulate the electron trajectories. The effects of self‐fields on the FEL gain in this configuration are estimated. Numerical calculations indicate that in the presence of self‐fields the sensitivity of the gain increases in the vicinity of resonance regions. Besides, diamagnetic and paramagnetic effects of the wiggler‐induced self‐magnetic field cause gain decrement and enhancement for different electron orbits, while these diamagnetic and paramagnetic effects increase with increasing beam density. The results are compared with findings of planar magnetostatic wiggler FELs.     

Modelling dynamics of samples exposed to free-electron-laser radiation with Boltzmann equations

We apply Boltzmann equations for modelling the radiation damage in samples irradiated by photons from free electron lasers (FELs). We test this method in a study case of a spherically symmetric xenon cluster irradiated with VUV FEL photons. Qualitative agreement between the model predictions and experimental data is found. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of the Boltzmann method for describing the complex and non-equilibrium dynamics of samples exposed to FEL radiation.