Fundamental and harmonic microbunching in a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous-emission free-electron laser

An inverse free electron laser acceleration-driven Compton scattering X-ray source

The generation of X-rays and γ-rays based on synchrotron radiation from free electrons, emitted in magnet arrays such as undulators, forms the basis of much of modern X-ray science. This approach has the drawback of requiring very high energy, up to the multi-GeV-scale, electron beams, to obtain the required photon energy. Due to the limit in accelerating gradients in conventional particle accelerators, reaching high energy typically demands use of instruments exceeding 100’s of meters in length. Compact, less costly, monochromatic X-ray sources based on very high field acceleration and very short period undulators, however, may enable diverse, paradigm-changing X-ray applications ranging from novel X-ray therapy techniques to active interrogation of sensitive materials, by making them accessible in energy reach, cost and size. Such compactness and enhanced energy reach may be obtained by an all-optical approach, which employs a laser-driven high gradient accelerator based on inverse free electron laser (IFEL), followed by a collision point for inverse Compton scattering (ICS), a scheme where a laser is used to provide undulator fields. We present an experimental proof-of-principle of this approach, where a TW-class CO₂ laser pulse is split in two, with half used to accelerate a high quality electron beam up to 84 MeV through the IFEL interaction, and the other half acts as an electromagnetic undulator to generate up to 13 keV X-rays via ICS. These results demonstrate the feasibility of this scheme, which can be joined with other techniques such as laser recirculation to yield very compact photon sources, with both high peak and average brilliance, and with energies extending from the keV to MeV scale. Further, use of the IFEL acceleration with the ICS interaction produces a train of high intensity X-ray pulses, thus enabling a unique tool synchronized with a laser pulse for ultra-fast strobe, pump-probe experimental scenarios.

Smith-Purcell radiation from periodic beams

Smith-Purcell effect is well known as a source of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation. In this paper we present the generalized theory of Smith-Purcell radiation from periodic beams. The form-factors describing both coherent and incoherent regimes of radiation are calculated. The radiation characteristics are investigated in two practically important frequency ranges, THz and X-ray, for two modulation profiles, most frequently used in practice - a train of microbunches and a Gaussian-shaped one, characterized by sinusoidal modulation with an arbitrary modulation depth. On the base of the theory developed we show that a modulated electron beam consisting of a set of bunches makes it possible to improve significantly the spectral line monochromaticity of the light emitted, reaching values better than 1% for short gratings. We demonstrate as well that Smith-Purcell radiation can be used for non-destructive diagnostics of the depth of modulation for partially modulated beams. These findings not only open up a new way to manipulate the light emission using Smith-Purcell effect but also promise a profound impact for other radiation sources based on charged particle beams, such as undulator radiation in FELs, next-generation X-ray radiation source based on inverse Compton scattering, in a wide range from THz to X-rays.

Properties of the ultrashort gain length, self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser in the linear regime and saturation

VISA (Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier) is a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL), which achieved saturation at 840 nm within a single-pass 4-m undulator. The experiment was performed at the Accelerator Test Facility at BNL, using a high brightness 70-MeV electron beam. A gain length shorter than 18 cm has been obtained, yielding a total gain of 2 x 10(8) at saturation. The FEL performance, including the spectral, angular, and statistical properties of SASE radiation, has been characterized for different electron beam conditions. Results are compared to the three-dimensional SASE FEL theory and start-to-end numerical simulations of the entire injector, transport, and FEL systems. An agreement between simulations and experimental results has been obtained at an unprecedented level of detail.