Analytical formula of free electron laser exponential gain for a non-resonant electron beam**Supported by Major State Basic Research Development Program (2011CB808301) and National Nature Science Foundation of China (11375199)

Abstract

The free electron laser (FEL) gain formulas for a non-resonant case are studied, and some new rigorous analytical formulas are given explicitly. For the mono-energetic and non-resonant electron beam, the exact expression of the solution of the FEL characteristic cubic equation is obtained with a form much more simple than that in the literatures, and the gain length as the function of the detuning parameter is explicitly given. Then the gain for different detuning parameters and from low to high can be easily calculated. A simplified approximation formula is also given for the exponential gain calculation in the non-resonant case. For the case of the electron beam with an energy spread, the solution of the characteristic cubic equation is given explicitly for rectangular energy distribution and Lorentz distribution, respectively. Moreover the explicit expression also can be used for the solution of the characteristic cubic equation including the impact of the space charge. The transition from the low gain to the high gain is analyzed. The variations of the gain bandwidth and of the detuning parameter for the maximum gain are demonstrated. The applicable ranges of the small signal gain formula and the exponential gain formula are analyzed.