Russell Wilcox

Time-resolved pump-probe experiments at the LCLS

The first time-resolved x-ray/optical pump-probe experiments at the SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) used a combination of feedback methods and post-analysis binning techniques to synchronize an ultrafast optical laser to the linac-based x-ray laser. Transient molecular nitrogen alignment revival features were resolved in time-dependent x-ray-induced fragmentation spectra. These alignment features were used to find the temporal overlap of the pump and probe pulses. The strong-field dissociation of x-ray generated quasi-bound molecular dications was used to establish the residual timing jitter. This analysis shows that the relative arrival time of the Ti:Sapphire laser and the x-ray pulses had a distribution with a standard deviation of approximately 120 fs. The largest contribution to the jitter noise spectrum was the locking of the laser oscillator to the reference RF of the accelerator, which suggests that simple technical improvements could reduce the jitter to better than 50 fs.

Stable transmission of radio frequency signals on fiber links using interferometric delay sensing

We demonstrate distribution of a 2850 MHz rf signal over stabilized optical fiber links. For a 2.2 km link we measure an rms drift of 19.4 fs over 60 h, and for a 200 m link an rms drift of 8.4 fs over 20 h. The rf signals are transmitted as amplitude modulation on a continuous optical carrier. Variations in the delay length are sensed using heterodyne interferometry and used to correct the rf phase. The system uses standard fiber telecommunications components.

Nanograting-based compact vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer and beam profiler for in situ characterization of high-order harmonic generation light sources.

A compact, versatile device for vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) beam characterization is presented. It combines the functionalities of a VUV spectrometer and a VUV beam profiler in one unit and is entirely supported by a standard DN200 CF flange. The spectrometer employs a silicon nitride transmission nanograting in combination with a microchannel plate-based imaging detector. This enables the simultaneous recording of wavelengths ranging from 10 to 80 nm with a resolution of 0.25-0.13 nm. Spatial beam profiles with diameters up to 10 mm are imaged with 0.1 mm resolution. The setup is equipped with an in-vacuum translation stage that allows for in situ switching between the spectrometer and beam profiler modes and for moving the setup out of the beam. The simple, robust design of the device is well suited for nonintrusive routine characterization of emerging laboratory- and accelerator-based VUV light sources. Operation of the device is demonstrated by characterizing the output of a femtosecond high-order harmonic generation light source.

Design Studies for a VUV–Soft X-ray Free-Electron Laser Array

Several recent reports have identified the scientific requirements for a future soft X-ray light source [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], and a high-repetition-rate free-electron laser (FEL) facility responsive to them is being studied at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) [6]. The facility is based on a continuous-wave (CW) superconducting linear accelerator with beam supplied by a high-brightness, high-repetition-rate photocathode electron gun operating in CW mode, and on an array of FELs to which the accelerated beam is distributed, each operating at high repetition rate and with even pulse spacing. Dependent on the experimental requirements, the individual FELs may be configured for either self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE), seeded high-gain harmonic generation (HGHG), echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG), or oscillator mode of operation, and will produce high peak and average brightness X-rays with a flexible pulse format ranging from sub-femtoseconds to hundreds of femtoseconds. This new light source would serve a broad community of scientists in many areas of research, similar to existing utilization of storage ring based light sources.

Design Studies for a High-Repetition-Rate FEL Facility at LBNL

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is working to address the needs of the primary scientific Grand Challenges now being considered by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences: we are exploring scientific discovery opportunities, and new areas of science, to be unlocked with the use of advanced photon sources. A partnership of several divisions at LBNL is working to define the science and instruments needed in the future. To meet these needs, we propose a seeded, high-repetition-rate, free-electron laser (FEL) facility. Temporally and spatially coherent photon pulses, of controlled duration ranging from picosecond to sub-femtosecond, are within reach in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) to soft X-ray regime, and LBNL is developing critical accelerator physics and technologies toward this goal. We envision a facility with an array of FELs, each independently configurable and tunable, providing a range of photon-beam properties with high average and peak flux and brightness.

Modeling Herriott cells using the linear canonical transform

We demonstrate a new way to analyze stable, multipass optical cavities (Herriott cells), using the linear canonical transform formalism, showing that re-entrant designs reproduce an arbitrary input field at the output, resulting in useful symmetries. We use this analysis to predict the stability of cavities used in interferometric delay lines for temporal pulse addition.

Ultrafast X-ray-pump, laser-probe spectroscopy at LCLS

We report the first pump-probe spectra using 1 keV pulses from LCLS to excite N2 in delayed coincidence with 800 nm laser pulses. The delay between pump and probe was controlled to within 50 fsec.

A high-average power femtosecond laser for synchrotron light source applications

We describe a 60W, 70fs, 20kHz Ti:sapphire CPA laser system using cryogenically-cooled amplifiers, currently operating at the Advanced Light Source at LBNL. The system consists of an oscillator, a 20 kHz regenerative preamplifier, and two power amplifiers to produce two output beams, each at 30W. Each power amp can be pumped by two 90 Watt, 10 kHz, diode-pumped, doubled YLF lasers simultaneously (for 10 kHz) or interleaved in time (for 20 kHz). The regen is pumped at 20 kHz and 60W, producing 8W output which is split between the power amps. To maintain the crystals near the thermal conductivity peak at ~50°K, we used 300 Watt cryorefrigerators mechanically decoupled from the optical table. Pulses are compressed in a quartz transmission grating compressor, to minimize thermal distortions of the phase front typical of gold coated gratings at high power density. Transmission through the compressor is >80%, using a single 100 x 100mm grating. One of the 30W output beams is used to produce 70fs electron bunches in the synchrotron light source. The other is delayed by 300ns in a 12-pass Herriot cell before amplification, to be synchronized with the short light pulse from the synchrotron.

FPGA-Based Optical Cavity Phase Stabilization for Coherent Pulse Stacking

Coherent pulse stacking (CPS) is a new time-domain coherent addition technique that stacks several optical pulses into a single output pulse, enabling high pulse energy from fiber lasers. We develop a robust, scalable, and distributed digital control system with firmware and software integration for algorithms, to support the CPS application. We model CPS as a digital filter in the Z domain and implement a pulse-pattern-based cavity phase detection algorithm on an field-programmable gate array (FPGA). A two-stage (2+1 cavities) 15-pulse stacking system achieves an 11.0 peak-power enhancement factor. Each optical cavity is fed back at 1.5kHz, and stabilized at an individually-prescribed round-trip phase with 0.7deg and 2.1deg rms phase errors for Stages 1 and 2, respectively. Optical cavity phase control with nanometer accuracy ensures 1.2% intensity stability of the stacked pulse over 12 h. The FPGA-based feedback control system can be scaled to large numbers of optical cavities.

Interferometer design and controls for pulse stacking in high power fiber lasers

In order to develop a design for a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) driver, we demonstrate key technologies that enable fiber lasers to produce high energy, ultrafast pulses. These technologies must be scalable, and operate in the presence of thermal drift, acoustic noise, and other perturbations typical of an operating system. We show that coherent pulse stacking (CPS), which requires optical interferometers, can be made robust by image-relaying, multipass optical cavities, and by optical phase control schemes that sense pulse train amplitudes from each cavity. A four-stage pulse stacking system using image-relaying cavities is controlled for 14 hours using a pulse-pattern sensing algorithm. For coherent addition of simultaneous ultrafast pulses, we introduce a new scheme using diffractive optics, and show experimentally that four pulses can be added while a preserving pulse width of 128 fs.