Spontaneous emission and gain in a waveguide free-electron laser

Journal Article · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/3.104146· OSTI ID:5615530

Golightly, W J; Ride, S K ^[1]

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1. California Univ., San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics

A free-electron laser enclosed in a waveguide of narrowly spaced parallel plates has been proposed as a compact, coherent source of far-infrared radiation. In this paper, the spontaneous emission and small-signal gain of such a device are analyzed. Maxwell's equations are solved for the fields of a relativistic electron beam passing through a linearly polarized undulator in the presence of a parallel-plane waveguide. The radiation intensity is resolved into its component waveguide modes for the fundamental frequency and for all harmonics. The intensity profile in a given harmonic mode is altered significantly when a parameter involving the undulator period, beam energy, and transverse dimension of the guide is such that the radiation group velocity is close to the electrons' axial velocity. The small-signal gain in the waveguide free-electron laser is calculated and related to the spontaneous emission. Near zero slip, the gain curve is significantly different from that of a free-space free-electron laser with the same parameters.

• OSTI ID: 5615530
• Journal Information: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Vol. 27:12; ISSN 0018-9197; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400500 -- Photochemistry
42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
661100 -- Classical & Quantum Mechanics-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AMPLIFICATION
BEAM INJECTION
BEAMS
CALCULATION METHODS
COHERENT RADIATION
CONTROL
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON BEAMS
EMISSION SPECTRA
EQUATIONS
FAR INFRARED RADIATION
FREE ELECTRON LASERS
GAIN
HARMONICS
INFRARED RADIATION
LASERS
LEPTON BEAMS
LIGHT SOURCES
MAXWELL EQUATIONS
MODE CONTROL
OSCILLATIONS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PARTICLE BEAMS
QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
RELATIVISTIC BEAM INJECTION
SPECTRA
WAVEGUIDES