Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of sidebands in tapered and untapered free-electron lasers

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)
A time-dependent, axisymmetric code is employed to examine the development of sidebands in a free-electron laser. For the case where the input signal undergoes an extended period of exponential growth, a broad spectrum of sidebands with growth rates comparable to that of the signal is excited. In general, in an untapered system the optical field displays considerable modulation after several synchrotron periods. An analytical model, in qualitative agreement with a number of features of the simulations, is discussed. In a tapered system the amplitude of the sidebands approaches a quasisteady level that is several orders of magnitude below that of the untapered case, and the output optical field displays only a slight modulation. The optimal rate of tapering employed, to maximize efficiency, leads to substantial reduction in the growth rate of sidebands. This result is discussed in connection with the nonadiabatic nature of particle motion in the tapered system.
Research Organization:
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375-5000
OSTI ID:
7075164
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 38:1; ISSN PLRAA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Development of sidebands in tapered and in untapered free-electron lasers. Memorandum report
Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · OSTI ID:6884093

Theory of sideband suppression in a tapered free-electron laser
Journal Article · Wed Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1993 · Bulletin of the American Physical Society · OSTI ID:243592

Prevention of sideband-induced detrapping in tapered-undulator free-electron lasers
Conference · Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5658154