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Title: Generation of ultrashort radiation pulses by injection locking a regenerative free-electron-laser amplifier

Journal Article · · Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics
 [1];  [2]
  1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

We demonstrate how a steady-state train of ultrashort radiation pulses can be produced utilizing a new free-electron laser (FEL) configuration, the injection-locked regenerative klystron amplifier (IRKA). This configuration consists of two elements: (1) a prebuncher, which microbunches the electron beams at the desired output wavelength, and (2) a multipass FEL operated at a very small cavity desynchronism and below the lasing threshold, in the regime of regenerative amplification. The regenerative amplifier is driven by the microbunched electron beam, so that the pulse-to-pulse stability is provided by the pre-buncher. The broad amplification bandwidth of this regenerative amplifier enables generation of ultrashort pulses, much shorter than a slippage length, with high efficiency. The IRKA configuration can produce such ultra-short radiation pulses while avoiding the chaotic dynamics that limits conventional FEL performance. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Research Organization:
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH03073
OSTI ID:
664483
Journal Information:
Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Vol. 56, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English