Fundamental and harmonic microbunching in a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous-emission free-electron laser

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2002 Sep;66(3 Pt 2B):036503. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.66.036503. Epub 2002 Sep 30.

Abstract

Electron beam microbunching in both the fundamental and second harmonic in a high-gain self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (SASE FEL) was experimentally characterized using coherent transition radiation. The microbunching factors for both modes (b(1) and b(2)) approach unity, an indication of FEL saturation. These measurements are compared to the predictions of FEL simulations. The simultaneous capture of the microbunching and SASE radiation for individual micropulses correlate the longitudinal electron beam structure with the FEL gain.