Abstract

A free electron laser is similar to regular lasers in the sense that a light pulse is amplified on multiple passes through an optical cavity. Although the pump and gain processes are completely different, manipulation of the stored field is possible using similar tricks as in regular lasers, for instance phase locking by means of an intracavity interferometer.^1,2 In addition, however, a free electron laser has the unique feature that also the properties of the gain medium (a beam of relativistic electrons) can be manipulated on a time scale essentially down to the cavity roundtrip time.

© 1994 IEEE