Self-consistent analysis of the effect of wiggler field errors in free-electron lasers

Abstract

A self-consistent analysis of wiggler field errors in free-electron lasers is described using the 3-D simulation code WIGGLIN, and a random variation for the pole-to-pole wiggler amplitude with a continuous map between the pole faces. On average, increases in the rms value of the field cause a decrease in the interaction efficiency; however, this is relatively benign for the specific case studied, and particular error distributions can result in efficiency enhancements. The analysis indicates that a random walk model for electron orbits may be conceptually incorrect.