Development of far-infrared FEL with needle photo-RF-gun

Far-infrared free electron lasers (FELs) with central wavelengths of 11.6 and ∼70 μm were obtained by using an S-band RF linac (LEENA) at electron energies of 14.4 and ∼5.5 MeV, respectively. Small-signal gain and cavity loss were measured to be 8.2% and 3.3%, respectively, at a peak current of 4.4 A, an electron energy of 15 MeV, and a central wavelength of 10 μm. The pulsewidth of the FEL signal could be lengthened by tailoring the waveform of klystron drive voltage, since uniformity of electron energy in a macropulse was improved. A tungsten needle photo-RF gun was investigated using the field-dependence of QE for a third-harmonics Nd:YAG laser (wavelength of 355 nm). Numerical calculations of electron beam performances in a needle photo-RF-gun were made. A tungsten needle photocathode, with a tip radius of 10 μm, was introduced into the RF-gun cavity of LEENA.