Visible and Ultraviolet Radiation Generation Using a Gas-Loaded Free-Electron Laser

Gas loading of a free-electron laser modifies the phase-matching condition while the small-signal gain expression remains the same when written in appropriate form. This permits a wider parameter space than the vacuum FEL, which is particularly advantageous at shorter wavelength operation. Scattering of the electrons by the gas limits the interaction length, but available gains are still high enough to allow oscillation build-up. For example, a 0.5-μm wavelength helical wiggler FEL utilizing a 41 MeV electron beam is restricted to a length of 14 cm, has a small signal gain of 21 percent, and builds up to saturation in less than 1 μs. Tunability of this device over several microns is easily obtained by changing the gas pressure.