Abstract
In the Boeing Average Power Laser Experiment (APLE), the free electron laser (FEL) oscillator produces short optical pulses for input to the amplifier section. Micropulse slippage can become significant in the amplifier, competing with the effects of high gain and optical mode distortion. A two-dimensional simulation is used to study pulse slippage, and a three-dimensional simulation is used to study mode distortion. A four-dimensional simulation is used to simultaneously study these effects, and to look at the sensitivity of the efficiency to changes in various FEL parameters. We find that high gain and mode distortion effects dominate the pulse slippage effects. The amplifier is fairly insensitice to beam quality degradation and changes in the initial optical field, but a significant improvement in efficiency could be achieved by shortening the electron pulse.
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