S. Reiche

The development of X-ray free-electron lasers

We review and discuss the theoretical and experimental work that has led to the development of short wavelength free-electron lasers operating as single pass amplifiers, starting from the spontaneous undulator radiation, in the self amplified spontaneous emission mode. This work has led to several projects to build this type of free-electron lasers operating at a wavelength of about 0.1 nm, producing coherent X-ray pulses with an unprecedented brilliance and peak power, and pulse length in the femtosecond range. One such project, the LCLS, is presently under construction and is expected to be operational in 2008.

Chirped-beam two-stage free-electron laser for high-power femtosecond x-ray pulse generation

A method for generating femtosecond-duration x-ray pulses with a free-electron laser is presented. This method uses an energy-chirped electron beam propagating through an undulator to produce a frequency-chirped x-ray pulse by self-amplified spontaneous emission. A short temporal pulse is created by use of a monochromator to select a narrow radiation bandwidth. A second undulator is used to amplify the short-duration radiation. The radiation characteristics produced by a chirped-beam two-stage free-electron laser are calculated, and the performance of the chirped-beam two-stage option for the Linac Coherent Light Source is considered.

Future possibilities of the Linac Coherent Light Source

A study of the potential for the development of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) beyond the specifications of the baseline design is presented. These future developments include delivery of X-ray pulses in the 1 fs regime, extension of the spectral range, increase of the FEL power, exploitation of the spontaneous emission, and a more flexible time structure. As this potential is exploited, the LCLS can maintain its role as a world-leading instrument for many years beyond its commissioning in 2008 and initial operation as the worlds first X-ray free-electron laser.

Chirped-beam two-stage SASE-FEL for high power femtosecond X-ray pulse generation

Abstract A method for generating femtosecond duration X-ray pulses using a single-pass free-electron laser (FEL) is presented. This method uses an energy-chirped electron beam propagating through an undulator to produce a frequency-chirped X-ray pulse through self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE). After the undulator, we consider passing the radiation through a monochromator. The frequency is correlated to the longitudinal position within the pulse; therefore, by selecting a narrow bandwidth, a short temporal pulse will be transmitted. The short pulse radiation is used to seed a second undulator, where the radiation is amplified to saturation. In addition to short pulse generation, this scheme has the ability to control shot-to-shot fluctuations in the central wavelength due to electron beam energy jitter. We present calculations of the radiation characteristics produced by a chirped-beam two-stage SASE–FEL, and consider the performance of the chirped-beam two-stage option for the Linac Coherent Light Source.

Generation of ultra-large-bandwidth X-ray free-electron-laser pulses with a transverse-gradient undulator

A novel, flexible yet simple method to generate gigawatt X-ray free-electron-laser radiation with unprecedented spectral bandwidth above the 10% level is presented. Such broadband radiation will improve substantially the efficiency of techniques like X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, paving the way for outstanding progress in fields like biology and material science.

An Optimized Low-Charge Configuration of the Linac Coherent Light Source

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL) project based on the SLAC linac. The nominal parameter set is founded on a 1-nC bunch charge and normalized emittance of about 1 micron. Many of the most challenging issues are associated with the relatively high charge. The study described here uses a 0.2-nC bunch charge and 0.85-μm emittance with only 30 A of peak current in the injector, producing the same FEL saturation length. The resulting performance is more stable, has negligible resistive wakefield, greatly reduced CSR effects, and no transverse wakefield emittance dilution in the linac, with no change to the baseline engineering design.

Results of the VISA SASE FEL Experiment at 840 nm

VISA (Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier) is a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous emission FEL, which achieved saturation at 840 nm within a single-pass 4-m undulator. A gain length shorter than 18 cm has been obtained, yielding the gain of 2 ×108 at saturation. The FEL performance, including spectral, angular, and statistical properties of SASE radiation, has been characterized for different electron beam conditions. The results are compared to 3-D SASE FEL theory and start-to-end numerical simulations of the entire injector, transport, and FEL system. Detailed agreement between simulations and experimental results is obtained over the wide range of the electron beam parameters.© 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

TDA3D: Updates and improvements to the widely used three-dimensional free electron laser simulation

Abstract TDA3D is a widely distributed and often used Free Electron Laser (FEL) simulation code. While a number of versions of TDA exist, this paper describes the official version which is well tested and supported. We describe the capabilities of the code emphasizing recent improvements and revisions. TDA3D is a steady-state (time-independent) amplifier code. The code self-consistently solves, after averaging over a wiggler period, the paraxial wave equation for the radiation field and the Lorentz equations of motion for the electrons. The paraxial wave equation includes diffraction and optical guiding. The calculation of the electron beam motion takes into account longitudinal bunching and transverse betatron oscillations, so that emittance, energy spread, and external focusing can be properly modeled. Recent additions to the simulation include the ability to model natural wiggler focusing in one or both planes, alternating gradient quadrupoles or sextupoles, and ion channels. The initial loading of the electron distribution can be controlled to allow for matching into focusing channels, improved quiet starts (non-correlated phase-space distributions), and arbitrary energy spread.

Recent upgrade to the free-electron laser code GENESIS 1.3

The time-dependent code GENESIS 1.3 has been modified to address new problems in modeling Free-Electron Lasers. The functionality has been extended to include higher harmonics and to allow for a smoother modeling of cascading FELs. The code has also been exported to a parallel computer architecture for faster execution using the MPI protocol.

Current-enhanced SASE using an optical laser and its application to the LCLS

We propose a significant enhancement of the electron peak current entering a SASE undulator by inducing an energy modulation in an upstream wiggler magnet via resonant interaction with an optical laser, followed by microbunching of the energy-modulated electrons at the accelerator exit. This current enhancement allows a reduction of the FEL gain length. The x-ray output consists of a series of uniformly spaced spikes, each spike being temporally coherent. The duration of this series is controlled by the laser pulse and in principle can be narrowed down to just a single, ~;200-attosecond spike. Given potentially absolute temporal synchronization of the x-ray spikes to the energy-modulating laser pulse, this scheme naturally makes pump-probe experiments available to SASE FELs. We also study various detrimental effects related to the high electron peak current.