Design study of a photon beamline for a soft X-ray FEL driven by high gradient acceleration at EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB

TL;DR

This paper presents a conceptual design for a photon beamline driven by a high-gradient, plasma-based electron accelerator aimed at producing soft X-ray FEL radiation in the water window, with applications in imaging and spectroscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel beamline design integrating high-gradient acceleration methods for soft X-ray FELs, focusing on diagnostics, manipulation, and user applications.

Findings

Design of a beamline for 1 GeV electron energy

Feasibility of FEL operation in the water window

Outline of user end station for imaging and experiments

Abstract

We are proposing a facility based on high gradient acceleration via x-band RF structures and plasma acceleration. We plan to reach an electron energy of the order of 1 GeV, suitable to drive a Free Electron Laser for applications in the so called "water window" (2 - 4 nm). A conceptual design of the beamline, from the photon beam from the undulators to the user experimental chamber, mainly focusing on diagnostic, manipulation and transport of the radiation is presented and discussed. We also briefly outline a user end station for coherent imaging, laser ablation and pump-probe experiments.