Low-frequency spontaneous radiation in a free-electron laser in the trapped regime

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.2502· OSTI ID:5364029

Becker, W; McIver, J K; Orszag, M; Vogl, P

The trapped regime of a free-electron laser is considered in terms of the relativistic quantum-mechanical Klein-Gordon equation in the presence of the undulator and the laser field. The electron which is trapped in the wells of the ponderomotive potential occupies discrete equidistant levels. Transitions between these quantum-mechanical levels are shown to lead to the well-known classical sidebands. As a new feature in spontaneous emission we obtain a low frequency delta..omega.. emitted slightly off axis, where delta..omega.. denotes the shift between the first sideband and the small-signal laser frequency. The low frequency is again classical and constitutes a sideband of the zeroth harmonic ..omega.. = 0. Under current experimental conditions this low-frequency spontaneous emission is at the borderline of detectability.

• Research Organization: Center for Advanced Studies and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, 800 Yale Boulevard N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
• OSTI ID: 5364029
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 37:7; ISSN PLRAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
FREE ELECTRON LASERS
GAIN
KLEIN-GORDON EQUATION
LASERS
LEPTONS
MECHANICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
POTENTIALS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SPECTRA
TRAPPED ELECTRONS
WAVE EQUATIONS