Demonstration of inverse free-electron laser seeding in a sub-80 K, short period cryogenic undulator

Abstract

Short period, high field undulators have been shown to permit operation of x-ray free-electron lasers with short gain-lengths, and at unprecedented short wavelengths. In addition, the reduced beam energy required to reach resonance with a given radiation wavelength in short period undulators could prove useful in advanced inverse free-electron laser (IFEL) seeding schemes for future light sources, such as high-gain harmonic generation and echo-enabled harmonic generation, or in IFEL acceleration. We report here the in situ beam testing of a 9 mm period length cryogenic undulator having undulator parameter near unity in the context appropriate for advanced seeding and acceleration schemes, a linear accelerator. Because of the short period length of the undulator, a 47 MeV high-brightness electron beam could be used to produce near infrared photons via the undulator radiation mechanism. The undulator radiation was observed through a filter and the spectral response of the undulator is compared to simulation. Finally, an 800 nm seed laser was introduced in order to generate an energy modulation via the IFEL mechanism. Resonance between the electron beam and the laser seed was achieved without detailed knowledge of the temperature dependent undulator magnetic field through the observation of the undulator radiation. The energy modulation (and concomitant energy spread increase) of the electron beam was observed both directly in an electron beam spectrometer and indirectly via coherent transition radiation after conversion to a density modulation in a longitudinally dispersive chicane.