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With forming of an X-ray cavity with a set of narrow bandwidth diamond Bragg crystals and by storing and recirculating the output of an amplifier in an X- ray cavity so that the X-ray pulse can interact with following fresh electron bunches over many passes thus enabling the development of full temporal coherence, we will be able to build cavity-based X-ray FELs (CBXFELs) such as the X-ray free-electron laser oscillator (XFELO) and the X-ray regenerative amplifier free-electron laser (XRAFEL) [1, 2]. One of the key challenges to forming the X-ray cavity is the nanopositioning design and construction of the cavity mechanical system. In this paper, we present the design of the nanopositioning and mechanical system that is currently under construction for use in a proof-of-principle cavity-based X-ray free electron laser experiment at the LCLS-II at SLAC.

44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz) : [Proceedings] - IEEE, 2019. - ISBN 978-1-5386-8285-2 - doi:10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2019.8874425 2019 44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves, IRMMW-THz 2019, Paris, France, 1 Sep 2019 - 6 Sep 2019; IEEE 1 pp. (2019). doi:10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2019.8874425, There is a high demand for intense THz sources since “many excitation mechanisms of matter resonate in the terahertz regime” especially for condensed matters. “Accelerator-based THz sources provide the wide tunability together with high intensity and repetition rates beyond 100 kHz, that will enable broad application at the European XFEL to the most interesting scientific problems in the field” [1]. Supported by European XFEL a proof of principle study is started at the Photo-Injector Test Facility located at DESY in Zeuthen site (PITZ). Since PITZ and European XFEL electron sources are identical the X-ray and THz radiation can be produced with identical bunch train structure so that for every X-ray pulse a corresponding THz pulse can be provided for the pump-and- probe experiments., Published by IEEE

X-ray free-electron lasers are unique sources of high-brightness coherent radiation. However, existing devices supply only linearly polarized light, precluding studies of chiral dynamics. A device called the Delta undulator has been installed at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) to provide tunable polarization. With a reverse tapered planar undulator line to pre-microbunch the beam and the novel technique of beam diverting, hundreds of microjoules of circularly polarized X-ray pulses are produced at 500–1,200 eV. These X-ray pulses are tens of femtoseconds long, have a degree of circular polarization of 0.98–0.04+0.02 at 707 eV and may be scanned in energy. We also present a new two-colour X-ray pump–X-ray probe operating mode for the LCLS. Energy differences of ΔE/E = 2.4% are supported, and the second pulse can be adjusted to any elliptical polarization. In this mode, the pointing, timing, intensity and wavelength of the two pulses can be modified. Tunable polarization control and a two-colour X-ray pump–X-ray probe operating mode are demonstrated at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).

Review of scientific instruments 87(8), 083113(2016). doi:10.1063/1.4961470, A non-destructive diagnostic method for the characterization of circularly polarized, ultraintense, short wavelength free-electron laser (FEL) light is presented. The recently installed Delta undulator at the LCLS (Linac Coherent Light Source) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (USA) was used as showcase for this diagnostic scheme. By applying a combined two-color, multi-photon experiment with polarization control, the degree of circular polarization of the Delta undulator has been determined. Towards this goal, an oriented electronic state in the continuum was created by non-resonant ionization of the O$_2$ 1s core shell with circularly polarized FEL pulses at hν ≃ 700 eV. An also circularly polarized, highly intense UV laser pulse with hν ≃ 3.1 eV was temporally and spatially overlapped, causing the photoelectrons to redistribute into so-called sidebands that are energetically separated by the photon energy of the UV laser. By determining the circular dichroism of these redistributed electrons using angle resolving electron spectroscopy and modeling the results with the strong-field approximation, this scheme allows to unambiguously determine the absolute degree of circular polarization of any pulsed, ultraintense XUV or X-ray laser source., Published by American Institute of Physics, [S.l.]

Lasing in a hard-X-ray free-electron laser is typically seeded from noise due to the self-amplification of spontaneous emission, which limits temporal coherence and spectral characteristics. Researchers now demonstrate self-seeding using X-rays from the first half of the magnetic undulator to seed the second half via a diamond-based monochromator at angstrom wavelengths.

The LCLS hard X-ray Free Electron Laser at SLAC reported first lasing in April 2009. Since then two successful user runs have been completed at the two soft X-ray stations. The first hard X-ray station has started commissioning in July 2010. Beam diagnostics play an essential role for tuning the machine and delivering the requested beam properties to the users. An overview of the LCLS photon diagnostics will be presented including some selected commissioning results. Plans for future improvements and upgrades will be briefly discussed.

The Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron laser has now achieved coherent X-ray generation down to a wavelength of 1.2 A and at a brightness that is nearly ten orders of magnitude higher than conventional synchrotrons. Researchers detail the first operation and beam characteristics of the system, which give hope for imaging at atomic spatial and temporal scales.

Warm dense matter (WDM), which falls in the category between plasmas and condensed matter, is expected to exist in planetary interiors. Now, researchers use an X-ray laser to observe the transition to WDM.

The Linac Coherent Light Source has added a self-seeding capability to the soft x-ray range using a grating monochromator system. We report the demonstration of soft x-ray self-seeding with a measured resolving power of 2000–5000, wavelength stability of 10$^{−4}$, and an increase in peak brightness by a factor of 2–5 across the photon energy range of 500–1000 eV. By avoiding the need for a monochromator at the experimental station, the self-seeded beam can deliver as much as 50-fold higher brightness to users.

The intensity of x-ray sources has increased at a rapid rate since the late 1960s by ten orders of magnitude and more through the use of synchrotron radiation produced by bending magnets, wigglers and undulators. Three generations of radiation sources have been identified depending on amplitude and quality of the radiation provided. While user facilities of the third generation were being constructed, a new concept of radiation generating devices was being developed that offers an even larger increase in peak and average brightness than had been achieved till then. The new concept of the x-ray free electron laser based on the principle of self-amplified spontaneous emission will be the basis of fourth generation x-ray source user facilities of this century. The paper will start with a brief history of the development of x-ray sources, it will then discuss some of the differences between storage ring and free electron laser based approaches, and will close with an update of the present development of x-ray free electron laser user facilities.

VISA (Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier) is a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous emission FEL, which achieved saturation at 840 nm within a single-pass 4-m undulator. A gain length shorter than 18 cm has been obtained, yielding the gain of 2 ×108 at saturation. The FEL performance, including spectral, angular, and statistical properties of SASE radiation, has been characterized for different electron beam conditions. The results are compared to 3-D SASE FEL theory and start-to-end numerical simulations of the entire injector, transport, and FEL system. Detailed agreement between simulations and experimental results is obtained over the wide range of the electron beam parameters.© 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The experimental characterization of nonlinear harmonic generation (NHG) and electron beam microbunching at saturation from a visible SASE FEL are presented in this report. The gain lengths, spectra and energies of NHG were experimentally measured up to the third harmonic, and agree with theoretical predictions. Electron beam microbunching in both the fundamental and the second harmonic as the function of the SASE output were experimentally observed over the full range of SASE gain. The bunching factors for both the fundamental (b1) and second harmonic (b2) were experimentally characterized at saturation. The microbunching data provides another test of SASE saturation as well as correlating the NHG and electron beam microbunching modes to the fundamental SASE.© 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.PACS: 41.60. Cr;41.60. Ap;4185. Ja

Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier is a free electron laser (FEL) designed to saturate at a radiation wavelength of 800 nm within a 4 m long, strong focusing undulator. Large gain is achieved by driving the FEL with 72 MeV, high brightness beam of BNL's accelerator test facility. We present measurements that demonstrate saturation in addition to the frequency spectrum of the FEL radiation. Energy, gain length and spectral characteristics are compared and shown to agree with simulation and theoretical predictions.

It is widely appreciated that the performance of self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron lasers (FELs) depends critically on the properties of the drive beam. In view of this, a multi-laboratory collaboration has explored methods and software tools for integrated simulation of the photoinjector, linear accelerator, bunch compressor, and FEL. Rather than create a single code to handle such a system, our goal has been a robust, generic solution wherein pre-existing simulation codes are used sequentially. We have standardized on the use of Argonne National Laboratory's Self-Describing Data Sets file protocol for transfer of data among codes. The simulation codes used are PARMELA, elegant , and GENESIS. We describe the software methodology and its advantages, then provide examples involving Argonne's Low-Energy Undulator Test Line and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center's Linac Coherent Light Source. We also indicate possible future direction of this work.

The generation of harmonics through a nonlinear mechanism driven by bunching at the fundamental has sparked interest as a path toward enhancing and extending the usefulness of an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL) facility. The sensitivity of the nonlinear harmonic generation to undulator imperfections, electron beam energy spread, peak current, and emittance is important in an evaluation of the process. Typically, linear instabilities in FELs are characterized by increased sensitivity to both electron beam and undulator quality with increasing harmonic number. However, since the nonlinear harmonic generation mechanism is driven by the growth of the fundamental, the sensitivity of the nonlinear harmonic mechanism is not expected to be significantly greater than that of the fundamental. In this paper, they study the effects of electron beam quality, more specifically, emittance, energy spread, and peak current, on the nonlinear harmonics in a 1.5-{angstrom} FEL, and show that the decline in the harmonic emission roughly follows that of the fundamental.

The Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) FEL is designed to obtain high gain at a radiation wavelength of 800 nm. The FEL uses the high brightness electron beam of the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF), with energy of 72 MeV. VISA uses a novel, 4 m long, strong focusing undulator with a gap of 6 mm and a period of 1.8 cm. To obtain large gain the beam and undulator axis have to be aligned to better than 5 μm. Results from initial measurements on the alignment, gain, and spectrum will be presented and compared to theoretical calculations and simulations.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) undulator line will consist of undulator segments separated by breaks of various lengths. Focusing quadrupoles, in a FODO lattice, and electron-beam diagnostics will be located in the breaks, and every third break will be longer to also accommodate photon diagnostics. The electron-beam beta function and the undulator period were selected to minimize the saturation length. The FEL simulation code RON has been used to optimize parameters such as the length of the undulators and the break lengths between undulators. Different break lengths after the first three undulators have been found to help reduce the overall undulator line saturation length. Tolerances for individual undulators have also been determined. r 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 41.60. Cr

There is strong interest in the development of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (X-ray FELs). The interest is driven by the scientific opportunities provided by intense, coherent X-rays. An X-ray FEL has all the characteristics of a fourth-generation source: brightness several orders of magnitude greater than presently achieved in third-generation sources, full transverse coherence, and sub-picosecond long pulses. The SLAC and DESY laboratories have presented detailed design studies for X-ray FEL user-facilities around the 0.1 nm wavelength regime (LCLS at SLAC, TESLA X-ray FEL at DESY). Both laboratories are engaged in proof-of-principle experiments at longer wavelengths (TTF FEL Phase I at 71 nm, VISA at 600–800 nm) with results expected in 1999. The technologies needed to achieve the proposed performances are those of bright electron sources, of acceleration systems capable of preserving the brightness of the source, and of undulators capable of meeting the magnetic and mechanical tolerances that are required for operation in the SASE mode. This paper discusses the technological challenges presented by the X-ray FEL projects.

We describe the status and initial commissioning of the Visible to Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) experiment. VISA uses a strong focusing 4 m undulator, the Brookhaven National Laboratory ATF linac with an energy of 72 MeV, and a photoinjector electron source. The VISA fundamental radiation wavelength is near 800 nm and the power expected at saturation is near 60 MW. Power, angular and spectral measurements are planned for the VISA radiation and these results will be analyzed and compared with SASE FEL theory and computer simulation. In addition, the induced electron beam micro-bunching will be measured using coherent transition radiation.

A self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL) is under construction at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). Five FEL simulation codes were used in the design phase: GENESIS, GINGER, MEDUSA, RON, and TDA3D. Initial comparisons between each of these independent formulations show good agreement for the parameters of the APS SASE FEL.

The linac coherent light source (LCLS) (LCLS Design Study Report, SLAC-R-521, 1998) is an X-ray FEL based on a long, permanent magnet undulator comprised of multiple segments which provide space for electron beam position monitors (BPMs) and quadrupole focusing magnets. The 15 GeV electron trajectory within the undulator must be straight to ∼5 μ m over a gain length of 11 m so that the photon beam overlaps efficiently with the electron beam. This alignment precision is not achievable with available mechanical survey methods. For this reason, an empirical beam-based alignment technique is developed that uses BPM readings in conjuntion with large, deliberate variations in the electron energy. We describe here a detailed alignment simulation including BPM and magnet-mover calibration errors, quadrupole gradient errors, and dipole field errors which demonstrate that the alignment can be achieved with high confidence.

A first Design Study Report has recently been completed [1] for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a proposal to build an x-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) as a single pass SASE (Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission) amplifier. The proposal includes the use of a very low emittance electron beam accelerated up to 15 GeV by the last third of the SLAC linac to produce sub-picosecond x-ray pulses with high brightness and full transverse coherence in a 112-meter long undulator. Many aspects of the FEL design have been analyzed with FEL simulation codes. The paper discusses some of the results of these aspects, i.e. temporal x-ray pulse structure and power sprectrum, trajectory errors and effects of undulator beam tube wakefields.

After the successful demonstration of the hard X-ray self-seeding at LCLS, an effort to build a system for working in the soft X-ray region is ongoing. The idea for self-seeding in the soft X-ray region by using a grating monochromator was first proposed by Feldhauset. al. The concept places a grating monochromator in middle of the undulators and selects a narrow bandwidth “seed” from the SASE beam produced by the upstream section of undulators, which is then amplified to saturation in the downstream section of the undulators. The seeded FEL beam will have a narrower bandwidth approaching the transform limit. The challenge is to accommodate a monochromator and refocusing system as well as the electron beam magnetic chicane into a very limited space. The Soft X-raySelf Seeding system replaces only a single undulator section of ~ 4 m. Theoverall project and the expected FEL performances are described elsewhere. Here we present the detailed optical design solution, consisting of a fixed incidence angle toroidal blazed grating with variable groove density, a rotating plane mirror (the only required motion for tuning the energy) to redirect the selected monochromatic beam onto an exit slit, and two more mirrors, one sphere and one flat, to focus and overlap the ‘seed’ onto the electron beam in the downstream undulators.

We show that the spectral properties of a self-amplified spontaneous emission x-ray free-electron laser can be controlled by modulating the gain in magnetic undulators, thus producing one or several spectral lines within a single few femtosecond pulse. By varying the magnetic field along the undulator and the electron beam transport line, the system we demonstrate can tailor the x-ray spectrum to optimally meet numerous experimental requirements for multicolor operation.

With an eye toward extending optical wave-mixing techniques to the x-ray regime, we present the first experimental demonstration of a two-color x-ray free-electron laser at the Linac Coherent Light Source. We combine the emittance-spoiler technique with a magnetic chicane in the undulator section to control the pulse duration and relative delay between two intense x-ray pulses and we use differently tuned canted pole undulators such that the two pulses have different wavelengths as well. Two schemes are shown to produce two-color soft x-ray pulses with a wavelength separation up to $\ensuremath{\sim}1.9%$ and a controllable relative delay up to 40 fs.

An FEL utilizing a high energy, high current and low emittance beam to produce radiation shorter than 2Ais investigated in this paper. This device is an extension of the previously proposed 40ALinac Coherent Light Source based on the Stanford linear accelerator. Here we investigate the performance characteristics and parameter sensitivities of this single pass, high gain FEL amplifier operating by self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE). We begin by comparing various approaches to this short wavelength source and justify our choice of a helical undulator operating on the fundamental frequency. Numerical simulations as well as extensions of previous studies are used to show performance as a function of undulator parameters, startup noise, emittance, focusing, current and energy spread. Further studies and parameter modifications are proposed where needed.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy using an X-ray free electron laser is demonstrated with spectra over the Fe L$_{3,2}$-edges. This new ultrafast time-resolved capability is then applied to a fluence-dependent study of all-optical magnetic switching dynamics of Fe and Gd magnetic sublattices in a GdFeCo thin film above its magnetization compensation temperature. At the magnetic switching fuence, we corroborate the existence of a transient ferromagnetic-like state. The timescales of the dynamics, however, are longer than previously observed below the magnetization compensation temperature. Above and below the switching fluence range, we observe secondary demagnetization with about 5 ps timescales. This indicates that the spin thermalization takes longer than 5 ps., 5 pages, 4 figures

Energy extraction efficiency of a free electron laser (FEL) can be greatly increased using a tapered undulator and self-seeding. However, the extraction rate is limited by various effects that eventually lead to saturation of the peak intensity and power. To better understand these effects, we develop a model extending the Kroll-Morton-Rosenbluth, one-dimensional theory to include the physics of diffraction, optical guiding, and radially resolved particle trapping. The predictions of the model agree well with that of the GENESIS single-frequency numerical simulations. In particular, we discuss the evolution of the electron-radiation interaction along the tapered undulator and show that the decreasing of refractive guiding is the major cause of the efficiency reduction, particle detrapping, and then saturation of the radiation power. With this understanding, we develop a multidimensional optimization scheme based on GENESIS simulations to increase the energy extraction efficiency via an improved taper profile and variation in electron beam radius. We present optimization results for hard x-ray tapered FELs, and the dependence of the maximum extractable radiation power on various parameters of the initial electron beam, radiation field, and the undulator system. We also study the effect of the sideband growth in a tapered FEL. Such growth induces increased particle detrapping and thus decreased refractive guiding that together strongly limit the overall energy extraction efficiency.

Recent technological developments have opened the possibility to construct a device which we call a linac coherent light source (LCLS) (C. Pellegrini et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 331 (1993) 223; H. Winick et al., Proc. IEEE 1993 Particle Accelerator Conf., Washington, DC, May 1993; C. Pellegrini, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 341 (1994) 326; J. Seeman, SPIE Meet. on Electron Beam Sources of High Brightness Radiation, San Diego, CA, July 1993 [1–4]); it would be a fourth-generation light source, with brightness, coherence, and peak power far exceeding other sources. Operating on the principle of the free electron laser (FEL), the LCLS would extend the range of FEL operation to much shorter wavelength than the 240 nm that has so far been reached. We report the results of studies of the use of the SLAC linac to drive an LCLS at wavelengths from about 3 to 100 nm initially and possibly even shorter wavelengths in the future. Lasing would be achieved in a single pass of a low emittance, high peak current, high-energy electron beam through a long undulator. Most present FELs use an optical cavity to build up the intensity of the light to achieve lasing action in a low-gain oscillator configuration. By eliminating the optical cavity, which is difficult to make at short wavelengths, laser action can be extended to shorter wavelengths by self-amplified-spontaneous-emission (SASE), or by harmonic generation from a longer wavelength seed laser. Short wavelength, single pass lasers have been extensively studied at several laboratories and at recent workshops (M. Cornacchia and H. Winick (eds.), SLAC Report 92/02; I. Ben-Zvi and H. Winick (eds.), BNL report 49651 [5,6]). The required low-emittance electron beam can be achieved with recently-developed rf photocathode electron guns (B.E. Carlsten, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 285 (1989) 313; J. Rosenzweig and L. Serafini, Proc. IEEE 1993 Particle Accelerator Conf., Washington, DC, 1993 [7,8]). The peak current is increased by about an order of magnitude by compressing the bunch to a lenght of about 0.2 ps (rms). Techniques for beam transport, acceleration, and compression without emittance dilution have been developed at SLAC as part of the linear-collider project (J. Seeman, Advances of Accelerator Physics and Technologies, ed. H. Schopper (World Scientific, Singapore, 1993 [9]). The undulator length required to saturate the laser varies from about 15 m for a 100 nm FEL to about 60 m at 3 nm. Initial experiments, at wavelengths down to about 50 nm are planned using the 25-m long Paladin undulator now located at LLNL. In a proposed future LCLS R&D facility the short wavelength light pulses are distributed to multiple end stations using grazing-incidence mirrors. About 10 14 photons per pulse can be produced at a 120 Hz rate, corresponding to average brightness levels of about 10 21 photons/s/mm 2 /mrad 2 within 0.1% BW and peak brightness levels of about 10 31 photons/s/mm 2 /mrad 2 within 0.1% BW. Peak power levels are several hundred megawatts to several gigawatts. Electron energies required range from about 500 MeV for the 100 nm FEL to about 7 GeV for 3 nm.

We discuss the design and performance of a 2 to 4 nm FEL operating in Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE), using a photoinjector to produce the electron beam, and the SLAC linac to accelerate it to an energy of about 7 GeV. Longitudinal bunch compression is used to increase the peak current to 2.5 kA, while reducing the bunch length to about 40 μm. The FEL field gain length is about 6 m, and the saturation length is about 60 m. The saturated output power is about 10 GW, corresponding to about 1014 photons in a single pulse in a bandwidth of about 0.1%, with a pulse duration of 0.16 ps. Length compression, emittance control, phase stability, FEL design criteria, and parameter tolerances are discussed.

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is an x-ray Free-Electron Laser (FEL) project that has just achieved its first lasing at 1.5 {angstrom} radiation wavelength. The very bright electron beam required to drive this FEL is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors that may increase the slice energy spread beyond the FEL tolerance. To control the slice energy spread and to suppress the microbunching instability, a laser heater (LH) system is installed in the LCLS injector area at 135 MeV, right before the RF deflector that is used for the time-resolved electron diagnostics. This unique component is used to add a small level of intrinsic energy spread to the electron beam in order to Landau damp the microbunching instability before it potentially breaks up the high brightness electron beam. The system was fully installed and tested in the fall of 2008, and effects of heating on the electron beam and the x-ray FEL were studied during the 2009 commissioning period. The laser heater system is composed of a 4-dipole chicane; a 9-period, planar, permanent-magnet, adjustable-gap undulator at the center of the chicane; one OTR screen on each side of the undulator for electron/laser spatial alignment; and more » an IR laser (up to 15-MW power) which co-propagates with the electron beam inside the undulator generating a 758-nm energy modulation along the bunch. The final two dipoles of the 4-dipole chicane time-smear this modulation leaving only a thermal-like intrinsic energy spread within the bunch. Table 1 lists the main parameters for this system. The very bright electron beam required for an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL), such as the LCLS, is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors, prior to the FEL undulator. The uncorrelated electron energy spread in the LCLS can be increased by an order of magnitude to provide strong Landau damping against the instability without degrading the FEL performance. To this end, a 'laser-heater' system has been installed in the LCLS injector, which modulates the energy of a 135-MeV electron bunch with an IR laser beam in a short undulator, enclosed within a four-dipole chicane. The last half of the chicane time-smears the energy modulation leaving an effective thermal energy spread increase. We present the first commissioning results of this system, its operational issues, its impact on the microbunching instability, and finally its effect on the FEL performance. « less

This note details the magnetic measurements and the magnetic center fiducializations that were performed on all of the thirty-six LCLS undulator quadrupoles. Temperature rise, standardization reproducibility, vacuum chamber effects and magnetic center reproducibility measurements are also presented. The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) undulator beam line has 33 girders, each with a LCLS undulator quadrupole which focuses and steers the beam through the beam line. Each quadrupole has main quadrupole coils, as well as separate horizontal and vertical trim coils. Thirty-six quadrupoles, thirty-three installed and three spares were, manufactured for the LCLS undulator system and all were measured to confirm that they met requirement specifications for integrated gradient, harmonics and for magnetic center shifts after current changes. The horizontal and vertical dipole trims of each quadrupole were similarly characterized. Each quadrupole was also fiducialized to its magnetic center. All characterizing measurements on the undulator quads were performed with their mirror plates on and after a standardization of three cycles from -6 to +6 to -6 amps. Since the undulator quadrupoles could be used as a focusing or defocusing magnet depending on their location, all quadrupoles were characterized as focusing and as defocusing quadrupoles. A subset of the undulator quadrupoles weremore » used to verify that the undulator quadrupole design met specifications for temperature rise, standardization reproducibility and magnetic center reproducibility after splitting. The effects of the mirror plates on the undulator quadrupoles were also measured.« less

The linac coherent light source (LCLS) is a self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL) operating at fundamental photon energies from 0.5 to 10 keV. Characterization of the higher harmonics present in the FEL beam is important to users, for whom harder x rays can either extend the useful operating wavelength range or increase experimental backgrounds. We present measurements of the power in both the second and third harmonics, and compare the results to expectations from simulations. We also present studies of the transport of harmonics to the users, and the harmonic power as a function of electron beam quality.

We report the results of preliminary studies of a 2 to 4 nm SASE FEL, using a photoinjector to produce the electron beam, and the SLAC linac to accelerate it to an energy up to 10 GeV. Longitudinal bunch compression is used to increase ten fold the peak current to 2.5 kA, while reducing the bunch length to the subpicosecond range. The saturated output power is in the multi-gigawatt range, producing about 1014 coherent photons within a bandwidth of about 0.2% rms, in a pulse of several millijoules. At 120 Hz repetition rate the average power is about 1 W. The system is optimized for X-ray microscopy in the water window around 2 to 4 nm, and will permit imaging a biological sample in a single subpicosecond pulse.

The duct work and cable trays present in the undulator hall facility are made out of potentially magnetically active materials. This note describes a measurement done to make a comparison between the fields in the undulator hall with the duct work and cable trays present and in the Magnetic Measurement Facility. In order for the undulators to have the proper tuning, the background magnetic field in the Undulator Hall must agree with the background field in the Magnetic Measurements Facility within 0.5 gauss. To verify that this was the case, measurements were taken along the length of the undulator hall, and the point measurements were compared to the mean field which was measured on the MMF test bench. This set of measurements was conducted with most of the cable trays and duct work in place, but without any of the magnet stands in place.

The steel present in the construction of the undulator hall facility has the potential for changing the ambient fields present in the undulator hall. This note describes a measurement done to make a comparison between the fields in the hall and in the Magnetic Measurement Facility. In order for the undulators to have the proper tuning, the background magnetic field in the Undulator Hall should agree with the background field in the Magnetic Measurements Facility within .5 gauss. In order to verify that this was the case measurements were taken along the length of the undulator hall, and the point measurements were compared to the mean field which was measured on the MMF test bench.

The girders for the LCLS undulator system contain components which must be aligned with high accuracy relative to each other. The alignment is one of the last steps before the girders go into the tunnel, so the alignment must be done efficiently, on a tight schedule. This note documents the alignment plan which includes efficiency and high accuracy. The motivation for girder alignment involves the following considerations. Using beam based alignment, the girder position will be adjusted until the beam goes through the center of the quadrupole and beam finder wire. For the machine to work properly, the undulator axis must be on this line and the center of the undulator beam pipe must be on this line. The physics reasons for the undulator axis and undulator beam pipe axis to be centered on the beam are different, but the alignment tolerance for both are similar. In addition, the beam position monitor must be centered on the beam to preserve its calibration. Thus, the undulator, undulator beam pipe, quadrupole, beam finder wire, and beam position monitor axes must all be aligned to a common line. All relative alignments are equally important, not just, for example, between quadrupole and undulator. We more » begin by making the common axis the nominal beam axis in the girder coordinate system. All components will be initially aligned to this axis. A more accurate alignment will then position the components relative to each other, without incorporating the girder itself. « less

A test was performed to determine whether transporting and handling the undulators makes any changes to their properties. This note documents the test. No significant changes to the test undulator were observed. After the LCLS undulators are tuned and fiducialized in the Magnetic Measurement Facility (MMF), they must be transported to storage buildings and transported to the tunnel. It has been established that the undulators are sensitive to temperature. We wish to know whether the undulators are also sensitive to the vibrations and shocks of transportation. To study this issue, we performed a test in which an undulator was measured in the MMF, transported to the tunnel, brought back to the MMF, and re-measured. This note documents the test and the results.

The very bright electron beam required for an x-ray free-electron laser (FEL), such as the linac coherent light source (LCLS), is susceptible to a microbunching instability in the magnetic bunch compressors, prior to the FEL undulator. The uncorrelated electron energy spread in the LCLS can be increased by an order of magnitude to provide strong Landau damping against the instability without degrading the FEL performance. To this end, a ``laser-heater'' system has been installed in the LCLS injector, which modulates the energy of a 135-MeV electron bunch with an IR-laser beam in a short undulator, enclosed within a four-dipole chicane. In this paper, we report detailed measurements of laser-heater-induced energy spread, including the unexpected self-heating phenomenon when the laser energy is very low. We discuss the suppression of the microbunching instability with the laser heater and its impact on the x-ray FEL performance. We also present the analysis of these experimental results and develop a three-dimensional longitudinal space charge model to explain the self-heating effect.

The use of a large-circumference, high-energy, electron-positron collider such as PEP, TRISTAN or PETRA to drive a free-electron laser (FEL), producing high levels of coherent power at short wavelengths around 40 A is explored. We consider self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE), in which electron bunches with low emittance, high peak current and small energy spread radiate coherently in a single pass through a long undulator. As the electron beam passes down the undulator, its interaction with the increasingly intense spontaneous radiation causes a bunch density modulation at the optical wavelength, resulting in stimulated emission and exponential growth of coherent power in a single pass. The need for optical-cavity mirrors, which place a lower limit on the wavelength of a conventional FEL oscillator, is avoided. Various combinations of electron-beam and undulator parameters, as well as special undulator designs, are discussed. Saturation and high peak, in-band, coherent power (460 MW) are possible with a 67 m, hybrid permanent-magnet undulator in a ring bypass. A 100 m, cusp-field undulator can achieve high average, in-band, coherent power (0.25 W) in the main ring. The existing, 25.6 m. Paladin undulator at LLNL, with the addition of optical-klystron dispersive sections, is considered for both peak and average power.

We explore the use of the 2.2-km PEP storage ring at SLAC to drive a 40-{Angstrom} free-electron laser in the self-amplified spontaneous emission configuration. Various combinations for electron-beam and undulator parameters, as well as special undulator designs, are discussed. Saturation and high peak, in-band, coherent power (460 MW) are possible with a 67-m, hybrid permanent-magnet undulator in a ring bypass. A 100-m, cusp-field undulator can achieve high average, in-band, coherent power (0.25 W) in the main ring. The existing, 25.6-m, Paladin undulator at LLNL, with the addition of optical-klystron dispersive sections, is considered for both peak and average power. 35 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

This is a presentation of the results of a design study for an adjustable phase undulator. Earlier work described the basic theory of these undulators, whose magnetic fields are adjusted by moving the rows of magnets longitudinally with respect to each other, while keeping the gap fixed. This paper explores further details of a proposed permanent magnet, phase adjustable, soft x‐ray undulator that will be used to test theoretical and calculated performance predictions. We present the Hamiltonian mechanics of the electron‐beam and numerical calculations of magnetic fields and trajectories of electrons, including end effects. We also discuss the trajectories of off‐axis electrons, the vertical focusing effect, the effects of magnetic errors, and finite emittance effects on the x‐ray spectrum.

In order to reach the high peak current required for an x-ray free electron laser, two separate magnetic dipole chicanes are used in the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) accelerator to compress the electron bunch length in stages. In these bunch compressors, coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) can be emitted either by a short electron bunch or by any longitudinal density modulation that may be on the bunch. In this paper, we report detailed measurements of the CSR-induced energy loss and transverse emittance growth in these compressors. Good agreement is found between the experimental results and multi-particle tracking studies. We also describe direct observations of CSR at optical wavelengths and compare with analytical models based on beam microbunching.