Generation of Soft X-Ray Radiation in a Compact Free-Electron Laser with Harmonic Multiplication

Abstract

Single-pass free-electron lasers (FELs) with harmonic multiplication in the X-ray range are studied theoretically with the objective of producing intense radiation with the minimum possible FEL length, beam energy, and seed laser frequency. A cascade FEL with a two-frequency undulator for electron bunching at wavelengths of higher harmonics is proposed. The dynamics of radiation power in a FEL with harmonic multiplication cascades is investigated based on a well-proven phenomenological FEL model that covers all major losses for each harmonic in each FEL cascade. The effect of the beam quality on X-ray generation in a FEL is examined. It is demonstrated that electron beams with energy spread σ_e ≤ 0.0002 are required for efficient use of harmonics in a cascade X-ray FEL. The evolution of power of harmonics in several cascade FELs at wavelengths of ~2–3 nm with multiplication of seed harmonics at a wavelength of 13.51 nm (Mo/Si reflection peak) and 11.43 nm (MoRu/Be reflection peak) is studied. It is demonstrated that the power increases to ~1 GW at a FEL length up to 40 m. In addition, the operation of multicascade FELs with a seed F₂ excimer 157-nm UV laser and harmonics of lasers with CO₂ and C₂H₂ at 30 nm with a beam of electrons with an energy of ~0.6 GeV and a current of ~1 kА is studied. The power of the modeled X-ray radiation of these FELs at λ = 2.5 and 3.3 nm increases to ~0.5 GW at ~30 m.