STUDIES OF A FREE ELECTRON LASER DRIVEN BY A LASER-PLASMA ACCELERATOR

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Journal of Undergraduate Research

OSTI ID:1052096

Montgomery, A; Schroeder, C; Fawley, W

A free electron laser (FEL) uses an undulator, a set of alternating magnets producing a periodic magnetic fi eld, to stimulate emission of coherent radiation from a relativistic electron beam. The Lasers, Optical Accelerator Systems Integrated Studies (LOASIS) group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) will use an innovative laserplasma wakefi eld accelerator to produce an electron beam to drive a proposed FEL. In order to optimize the FEL performance, the dependence on electron beam and undulator parameters must be understood. Numerical modeling of the FEL using the simulation code GINGER predicts the experimental results for given input parameters. Among the parameters studied were electron beam energy spread, emittance, and mismatch with the undulator focusing. Vacuum-chamber wakefi elds were also simulated to study their effect on FEL performance. Energy spread was found to be the most infl uential factor, with output FEL radiation power sharply decreasing for relative energy spreads greater than 0.33%. Vacuum chamber wakefi elds and beam mismatch had little effect on the simulated LOASIS FEL at the currents considered. This study concludes that continued improvement of the laser-plasma wakefi eld accelerator electron beam will allow the LOASIS FEL to operate in an optimal regime, producing high-quality XUV and x-ray pulses.

• Research Organization: DOESC (USDOE Office of Science (SC) (United States))
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• OSTI ID: 1052096
• Journal Information: Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English