Laser mode complexity analysis in infrared waveguide free-electron lasers

Abstract

We analyze an optical phenomenon taking place in waveguide free-electron lasers, which disturbs, or forbids, operation in far infrared range. Waveguides in the optical cavity are used in far-infrared and THz ranges in order to avoid diffraction optical losses, and a hole coupling on output mirror is used for laser extraction. We show that, when the length of the waveguide exceeds a given limit, a phenomenon of “mode disorder” appears in the cavity, which makes the laser difficult, or impossible, to work properly. This phenomenon is even more important when the waveguide covers the whole length of the cavity. A numerical simulation describes this effect, which creates discontinuities of the laser power in the spectral domain. We show an example with an existing infrared Free-Electron Laser, which exhibits such discontinuities of the power, and where no convincing explanation was proposed until now.