Superheterodyne electron-wave free-electron lasers

A new class of free electron lasers (electron wave superheterodyne FEL) has been described. They differed from traditional ones by construction based on utilization of one of electron wave (plasma-beam, two-stream and others) instability mechanisms. In this case a parametrical interaction mechanism was used only for transformation of the longitudinal beam waves into the transverse electromagnetic ones. Nonlinear superposition the electron wave and parametric instabilities was interpreted as an effect of superheterodyne amplification.