Radially Polarized Ion Channel Laser

Radially polarized radiation is amplified by a free electron laser (FEL) in which the undulator is an ion channel with uniform density. For long betatron wavelengths and low gain per pass, the gain at a given distance from the axis is three-eighths the gain of a periodic ion channel laser with the same wiggler parameter. For amplification of short wavelengths by an ultrarelativistic electron beam, a uniform-density ion channel requires a much higher ion density than a periodic ion channel laser.