Compensating the electron beam energy spread by the natural transverse gradient of laser undulator in all-optical x-ray light sources

Opt Express. 2014 Jun 2;22(11):13880-8. doi: 10.1364/OE.22.013880.

Abstract

All-optical ideas provide a potential to dramatically cut off the size and cost of x-ray light sources to the university-laboratory scale, with the combination of the laser-plasma accelerator and the laser undulator. However, the large longitudinal energy spread of the electron beam from laser-plasma accelerator may hinder the way to high brightness of these all-optical light sources. In this paper, the beam energy spread effect is proposed to be significantly compensated by the natural transverse gradient of a laser undulator when properly transverse-dispersing the electron beam. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations on conventional laser-Compton scattering sources and high-gain all-optical x-ray free-electron lasers with the electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't