skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Smith-Purcell free-electron laser

Abstract

The term Smith-Purcell free electron laser can be employed generally to describe any coherent radiation source in which a diffraction grating is used to couple an electron beam with the electromagnetic field. To date, most practical developments of this concept have focused on devices which operate in the millimeter spectral regime. In this paper construction of a Smith-Purcell free-electron laser operating in the far-infrared (FIR) region using a novel resonator cavity design and the electron beam from a low energy (0.5-5 MeV) radio-frequency accelerator will be discussed. A tunable source in this region would have many applications and since the beam energy is low, the small size and low overall cost of such a device would make it a laboratory instrument. Current projects which are progressing towards developing a FIR source are the programs at Stanford and CREOL. Both of these projects are using permanent magnet undulators to couple the electron beam with the electromagnetic field. An alternative approach is to use an electron beam passing over a diffraction grating as the radiating mechanism. This phenomenon is known as Smith-Purcell radiation and was first demonstrated for incoherent emission at visible wavelengths. The addition of feedback enhances the stimulated component ofmore » the emission which leads to the growth of coherence. Recent calculations for spontaneous emission have shown that the wiggler parameter and the grating efficiency are analogous. This result has important implications for the development of a Smith-Purcell FEL because a grating based free-electron laser would offer a greater range of tunability at a lower cost than its wiggler based counterpart.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Dartmount College, Hanover, NH (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
238840
Report Number(s):
BNL-61982-Absts.; CONF-9508156-Absts.
ON: DE96002729; TRN: 96:013329
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 17. international free electron laser conference, New York, NY (United States), 21-25 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]; Related Information: Is Part Of 17th international free electron laser conference and 2nd international FEL users` workshop. Program and abstracts; PB: 300 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS; 42 ENGINEERING NOT INCLUDED IN OTHER CATEGORIES; FREE ELECTRON LASERS; DESIGN; DIFFRACTION GRATINGS; FAR INFRARED RADIATION; CAVITY RESONATORS; ACCELERATORS

Citation Formats

Woods, K J, and Walsh, J E. Smith-Purcell free-electron laser. United States: N. p., 1995. Web.
Woods, K J, & Walsh, J E. Smith-Purcell free-electron laser. United States.
Woods, K J, and Walsh, J E. 1995. "Smith-Purcell free-electron laser". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/238840.
@article{osti_238840,
title = {Smith-Purcell free-electron laser},
author = {Woods, K J and Walsh, J E},
abstractNote = {The term Smith-Purcell free electron laser can be employed generally to describe any coherent radiation source in which a diffraction grating is used to couple an electron beam with the electromagnetic field. To date, most practical developments of this concept have focused on devices which operate in the millimeter spectral regime. In this paper construction of a Smith-Purcell free-electron laser operating in the far-infrared (FIR) region using a novel resonator cavity design and the electron beam from a low energy (0.5-5 MeV) radio-frequency accelerator will be discussed. A tunable source in this region would have many applications and since the beam energy is low, the small size and low overall cost of such a device would make it a laboratory instrument. Current projects which are progressing towards developing a FIR source are the programs at Stanford and CREOL. Both of these projects are using permanent magnet undulators to couple the electron beam with the electromagnetic field. An alternative approach is to use an electron beam passing over a diffraction grating as the radiating mechanism. This phenomenon is known as Smith-Purcell radiation and was first demonstrated for incoherent emission at visible wavelengths. The addition of feedback enhances the stimulated component of the emission which leads to the growth of coherence. Recent calculations for spontaneous emission have shown that the wiggler parameter and the grating efficiency are analogous. This result has important implications for the development of a Smith-Purcell FEL because a grating based free-electron laser would offer a greater range of tunability at a lower cost than its wiggler based counterpart.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/238840}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Sun Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: