From Theory to Reality: Progress and Challenges in Free-Electron Laser Development

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 882

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg, Germany
Interests: free-electron laser development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent years, developing and applying ultrashort coherent radiation pulses has made tremendous progress. The advent of ultrashort light sources and attosecond metrology has greatly advanced the understanding of electron motion in atoms and molecules. Ultrafast electron motion can be encountered in many quantum systems. Therefore, the application of ultrashort radiation pulses encompasses a broad range of fields, extending from chemical sciences to condensed matter physics. Recently, free-electron lasers (FELs), generating ultrashort pulses with high peak power from the extreme ultraviolet region to the hard X-ray region, are opening a multitude of new scientific opportunities towards the exploration of molecular and atomic structures in the areas of applied physics, chemistry, biology, material science, etc., where employing the coherent powerful ultrashort pulse in the short wavelength range is essential. In this respect, this Special Issue invites manuscripts that theoretically and experimentally address the current challenges in these domains. All theoretical, numerical, and experimental papers are accepted. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Ultrashort free-electron laser pulse generation.
  • Enhanced self-amplified spontaneous emission (ESASE) free-electron laser.
  • Generation of coherent free-electron laser radiation.
  • Hard X-ray and soft X-ray self-seeding free-electron laser.
  • Echo-enabled and high-gain harmonic generation free-electron laser (EEHG and HGHG).
  • Characterization of free-electron laser pulses.

Dr. Najmeh Mirian
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • free-electron laser
  • ultrashort pulse
  • hard X-ray FEL
  • soft X-ray
  • seeded FEL
  • seeding FEL
  • EEHG
  • HGHG
  • ESASE
  • SASE

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 2796 KiB  
Article
Determination of the XUV Frequency Chirp at the Free-Electron Laser FLASH via THz Streaking and Electron Beam Diagnostics
by Mahdi M. Bidhendi, Gesa Goetzke, Ivette J. Bermudez Macias, Rosen Ivanov, Evgeny A. Schneidmiller, Najmeh Mirian and Stefan Düsterer
Photonics 2024, 11(12), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11121153 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 456
Abstract
Free-electron lasers (FELs) operating in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and X-ray regions deliver ultrashort pulses with unprecedented intensity, enabling groundbreaking research across various scientific disciplines. A potential chirp (frequency change within the pulse) of these pulses influences their spectral properties, directly impacting the [...] Read more.
Free-electron lasers (FELs) operating in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and X-ray regions deliver ultrashort pulses with unprecedented intensity, enabling groundbreaking research across various scientific disciplines. A potential chirp (frequency change within the pulse) of these pulses influences their spectral properties, directly impacting the experimental outcomes and FEL performance. The accurate characterization of the chirp is, therefore, important for optimizing FEL operation and interpreting experimental results. This study presents a comprehensive comparison of two techniques determining the chirp of the XUV pulses at FLASH by directly measuring the XUV pulses with THz streaking and by detecting the chirp of the electron bunches by a Transverse Deflection Structure (PolariX TDS) to infer the XUV chirp. We conducted simultaneous measurements using both techniques at FLASH2 while tuning the FEL to produce various energy chirps on the electron bunch. Full article
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