Plasma wave wigglers for free-electron lasers

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/JQE.1987.1073557· OSTI ID:6094100

Joshi, C; Katsouleas, T; Dawson, J M; Yan, Y T; Slater, J M

The authors explore the possibility of using a relativistic plasma density wave as a wiggler for producing free-electron laser radiation. Such a wiggler is a purely electric wiggler with frequency ..omega../sub rho/ (plasma frequency) and wavenumber k/sub rho/. If an electron beam is injected parallel to the plasma wave wavefront, it is wiggled transversely with an apparent wiggler wavelength lambda/sub w/ = 2..pi..c/..omega../sub rho/. Using plasma densities in the 10/sup 17/ (cm/sup -3/) range, lambda/sub w/ of order 100 ..mu..m may be obtained, thereby permitting generation of short wavelength radiation with modest energy beams. The effect wiggler strength a/sub w/ = eA/mc/sup 2/ -- 0.5 can be extremely large. The authors discuss the excitation methods for such wigglers and examine the constraints imposed by the plasma medium on FEL gain in this scheme.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024
• OSTI ID: 6094100
• Journal Information: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States) Vol. QE-23:9; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
BEAMS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTROMAGNETS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
EXCITATION
FREE ELECTRON LASERS
FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE
GAIN
LASERS
LEPTON BEAMS
MAGNETS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA WAVES
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
WAVE PROPAGATION
WAVELENGTHS
WIGGLER MAGNETS