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In self-amplified spontaneous emission free electron laser devices, the combined effect of slippage and energy spread impose significant limitations on the power performance. We provide a scaling formula capable of parameterizing the effect in terms of the electron beam parameters and discuss mechanisms leading to the output power optimization. © 2019 SPIE.

Our team has been examining several architectures for short-wavelength, coherent light sources. We are presently exploring the use and role of advanced, high-peak power lasers for both accelerating the electrons and generating a compact light source with the same laser. Our overall goal is to devise light sources that are more accessible by industry and in smaller laboratory settings. Although we cannot and do not want to compete directly with sources such as third-generation light sources or that of national-laboratory-based free-electron lasers, we have several interesting schemes that could bring useful and more coherent, short-wavelength light source to more researchers. Here, we present and discuss several results of recent simulations and our future steps for such dissemination. © COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

A short period undulator (1.4 cm) has been designed for the SPARC-FEL test facility and has been realized in collaboration with KYMA Srl. It has been installed on the undulator line at SPARC. The undulator, operating in a delta like mode, has been used as radiator in a segmented configuration. The first stage being provided by the five undulators of the SPARC FEL source "old" chain, with period 2.8 cm. The KYMA undulator has a quatrefoil structure, a high magnetic field homogeneity and focuses both in vertical and radial directions. The two sections, namely the bunching and radiating parts, are arranged in such a way that the second is adjusted on a harmonic of the first. Laser action occurring in the second part, is due to the bunching acquired in the first. Simulations of the temporal and spectral profiles in different electron beam operating conditions are reported, as well as the evolution of the longitudinal phase space. The agreement with the experimental results is discussed The importance of this experiment is at least threefold: 1) It proves that the segmented undulator can successfully be operated 2) It proves that the laser emission in the last undulator is entirely due to the bunching mechanism, being no second harmonic signal present in the first segment 3) Encourages various improvements of the configuration itself, as e.g. the use of a further undulator with variable magnetic field configuration in order to obtain a laser field with adjustable polarization. © 2015 SPIE.

We present the experimental evidence of the generation of coherent and statistically stable Free-Electron Laser (FEL) two color radiation obtained by seeding an electron double peaked beam in time and energy with a single peaked laser pulse. The FEL radiation presents two neat spectral lines, with time delay, frequency separation and relative intensity that can be accurately controlled. The analysis of the emission shows a temporal coherence and regularity in frequency significantly enhanced with respect to the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE). © 2015 SPIE.

The first phase of the SPARX project, now funded by MIUR (Research Department of Italian Government), is an R&D activity focused on developing techniques and critical components for future X-ray FEL facilities. This project is the natural extension of the activities under development within the ongoing SPARC collaboration. The aim is the generation of electron beams characterized by an ultra-high peak brightness with a linear accelerator based on the upgrade of the existing Frascati 800 MeV LINAC and to drive a single pass FEL experiment in the range of 3-5 nm, both in SASE and SEEDED FEL configurations, exploiting the use of superconducting and exotic undulator sections. In this paper we discuss the present status of the collaboration.

SPARC and SPARX are two different initiatives toward an X-ray FEL SASE source at LNF. SPARC is a high gain FEL project devoted to provide a source of visible and VUV radiation while exploiting SASE mechanism. An advanced Photo-Injector system, emittance self-compensating RF-gun plus a 150 MeV Linac, will inject a high quality e-beam into the undulator to generate high brilliance FEL radiation in the visible region at the fundamental wavelength, (530 nm). The production of flat top drive laser beams, high peak current bunches, and an emittance compensation scheme will be investigated together with the generation of higher harmonic radiation in the VUV region. SPARX is the direct evolution of such a high gain SASE FEL towards the 13.5 and 1.5 nm operating wavelengths, at 2.5 GeV. The first phase of the SPARX project, fiinded by Government Agencies, will be focused on R&D activity on critical components and techniques for future X-ray facilities as described in this paper.

The mechanism of nonlinear harmonic generation in the exponential gain regime, which is driven by bunching at the fundamental wavelength, may provide a path toward both enhancing and extending the usefulness of an x-ray free- electron laser (FEL) facility. Related exotic generation schemes, which exploit properties of harmonic production in various undulator topologies, have been discussed both in the past and more recently. Using three different numerical simulation codes, we explore the possible utility of such schemes (e.g., harmonic afterburners and biharmonic undulators) at future light source facilities.

The evolution operator formalism, combined with appropriate decomposition techniques of exponential operators, has revealed an effective strategy to treat evolution-like problems in both classical and quantum context. The continuous original equation is turned into a set of finite- difference equations, which preserve at a discrete level the basic features of the corresponding continuous model. The resulting scheme is easy to be encoded and demands for less computer time. The method can be applied to the paraxial gaussian optics, described by the 1D parabolic wave equation. Within this context, the formalism generates an explicit difference scheme, which provides a flexible numerical integration procedure, accounting for higher-order aberrations as well.

A 5 MeV FEL facility has been realized at the ENEA Research Center in Frascati, Italy. This facility is devoted to the testing of Cerenkov FEL devices and other compact FEL configurations. Power up to 50 W in 4 microsecond(s) pulse has been generated in a Cerenkov FEL at wavelengths ranging from 0.8 to 1.6 mm using different dielectric guides. Other planned activities include the testing of short-period undulators in a small size waveguide FEL designed to operate in the sub-millimeter region. Operating characteristics and predicted performance are presented.

A program to construct a test superconducting electron linear accelerator (LISA) is in progress at Frascati INFN National Laboratories. The electron beam will be used to realize a FEL in the infrared region 11 - 18 μm in collaboration with a group of ENEA-CRE Frascati. The characteristics of the electron beam, the undulator and the expected performances of the FEL are described. Some future developments - energy doubling, energy recovery, third harmonic operation - are briefly presented. Such improvements aim to realize a high power, high efficiency FEL exploiting the features of a SC linac.© (1989) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

We discuss the main limitations of a single pass FEL device within the framework of the Lawson-Penner law. We show that very good performances can be obtained, in principle. Finally we point out that under suitable conditions the short wavelenght region (namely, visible and UV) may be covered by an FEL operating with a low energy electron beam machine.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.