Abstract

We report recent results on the high-brightness electron linac and initial performance of the Advanced FEL at Los Alamos. The design and construction of the Advanced FEL beamline are based upon integration of advanced technologies such as high-brightness photoinjector, high-gradient compact linac, and permanent-magnet beamline components. The beamline transports an extremely bright electron beam at energy up to 20 MeV and peak currents up to 300 A in 10-ps pulses. With use of an electromagnet microwiggler and short optical resonator, the Advanced FEL will be the first of its kind small enough to be mounted on an optical table and yet capable of providing high-power optical output spanning the near-IR and visible regions. To obtain good photocathode lifetimes and high peak surface fields, the linac has been conditioned with an rf glow discharge, high-temperature bakes, and high-power rf conditioning. Initial results of the Advanced FEL performance will be presented.

© 1992 Optical Society of America