The free-electron laser as a laboratory instrument

Author

Schmerge, J.F. ; Lewellen, J.W. ; Huang, Y.C. ; Feinstein, J. ; Pantell, R.H.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Stanford Univ., CA, USA

Volume

31

Issue

6

fYear

1995

fDate

6/1/1995 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1166

Lastpage

1171

Abstract

A free-electron laser (FEL) with a component cost, including the accelerator, of approximately $300k, has lased at a wavelength of 85 μm with ≈12 ps micropulse duration, achieving a power growth four orders of magnitude greater than the coherent spontaneous emission, and with a small-signal, single-pass gain of 21%. The price is about an order of magnitude less than other FELs for the far infrared, and transforms the device from the role of a national facility to that of a laboratory instrument. Cost reduction was achieved by employing several novel features: a microwave cavity gun for the accelerator, a staggered-array wiggler, and an on-axis hole in the upstream cavity mirror for electron ingress and radiation egress

Keywords

electron accelerators; free electron lasers; laboratories; laser accessories; laser cavity resonators; laser mirrors; mirrors; spontaneous emission; wigglers; 12 ps; 85 mum; coherent spontaneous emission; component cost; electron ingress; far infrared; free-electron laser; laboratory instrument; micropulse duration; microwave cavity gun; on-axis hole; power growth; radiation egress; single-pass gain; small-signal; staggered-array wiggler; upstream cavity mirror; Costs; Electron accelerators; Free electron lasers; Instruments; Laboratories; Microwave devices; Mirrors; Power lasers; Spontaneous emission; Undulators;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.387056

Filename

387056