A two-color dual-oscillator infrared free-electron laser

TL;DR

This paper presents the design and performance of a two-color dual-oscillator infrared free-electron laser capable of simultaneous, synchronized operation in the mid- and far-infrared regimes with independently tunable wavelengths.

Contribution

The work introduces a novel dual-oscillator FEL system with a 500 MHz kicker cavity enabling independent, wide-range wavelength tuning and two-color operation at various repetition rates.

Findings

Achieved lasing in the 4.5 to 175 μm range for FIR FEL.

Implemented a 500 MHz kicker cavity for electron bunch splitting.

Enabled independent wavelength tuning over a factor of four in both FELs.

Abstract

We report on the design and performance of a two-color dual-oscillator infrared free-electron laser (FEL). The mid-infrared (MIR) FEL at the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI FEL) has been upgraded to include a second oscillator FEL beamline that permits lasing in the far-infrared (FIR) regime from 4.5 {\mu}m to 175 {\mu}m. In addition, a 500 MHz kicker cavity has been installed downstream of the electron accelerator. It allows to deflect electron bunches of up to 50 MeV energy alternately left and right by an angle of {\pm}2{\deg}. It can, thus, split the high-repetition-rate (1 GHz) electron bunch train from the accelerator into two bunch trains of 500 MHz repetition rate each; one is steered to the MIR FEL and the other one to the new FIR FEL. In this two-color mode of simultaneous, synchronized operation the wavelengths in both FELs can be tuned independently over wide ranges of up to a factor of four each by undulator-gap variation. In addition, two-color operation is also available at reduced repetition rates (e.g. 55.6 MHz of both MIR and FIR pulses), as needed for some applications. This unique two-color mode opens up a wealth of novel user applications such as, MIR-FIR pump-probe experiments.