Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams (Jul 2013)

Bunch decompression for laser-plasma driven free-electron laser demonstration schemes

  • T. Seggebrock,
  • A. R. Maier,
  • I. Dornmair,
  • F. Grüner

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.16.070703
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 7
p. 070703

Abstract

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X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) require a very high electron beam quality in terms of emittance and energy spread. Since 2004 high quality electrons produced by laser-wakefield accelerators have been demonstrated, but the electron quality up to now did not allow the operation of a compact x-ray FEL using these electrons. Maier et al. [Phys. Rev. X 2, 031019 (2012)PRXHAE2160-330810.1103/PhysRevX.2.031019] suggested a concept for a proof-of-principle experiment allowing FEL operation in the vacuum ultraviolet range based on an optimized undulator and bunch decompression using electron bunches from a laser-plasma accelerator as currently available. In this paper we discuss in more detail how a chicane can be used as a bunch stretcher instead of a bunch compressor to allow the operation of a laser-wakefield accelerator driven FEL using currently available electrons. A scaling characterizing the impact of bunch decompression on the gain length is derived and the feasibility of the concept is tested numerically in a demanding scenario.