arXiv subjects

M. V. Yurkov

Publications and source records attributed to M. V. Yurkov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Two-color operation of a soft x-ray FEL with alternation of undulator tunes

FLASH is the first soft X-ray FEL user facility, routinely providing brilliant photon beams for users since 2005. The second undulator branch of this facility, FLASH2, is gap-tunable which allows to test and use advanced lasing concepts. In particular, we developed a two-color operation mode based on the alternatingly tuned undulator segments (every other segment is tuned to the second wavelength). This scheme is advantageous in comparison with a subsequent generation of two colors in two consecutive sections of the undulator line. First, source positions of the two FEL beams are close to each other which makes it easier to focus them on a sample. Second, the amplification is more efficient in this configuration since the segments with respectively "wrong" wavelength still act as bunchers. We studied operation of this scheme in the regime of small and large separation of tunes (up to a factor of two). We developed new methods for online intensity measurements of the two colors simultaneously that require a combination of two detectors. We also demonstrated our capabilities to measure spectral and temporal properties of two pulses with different wavelengths.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2021

Observation of harmonic lasing in the Angstrom regime at European XFEL

Harmonic lasing provides an opportunity to extend the photon energy range of existing and planned X-ray FEL user facilities. Contrary to nonlinear harmonic generation, harmonic lasing can generate a much more intense, stable, and narrow-band FEL beam. Another interesting application is Harmonic Lasing Self-Seeding (HLSS) that allows to improve the longitudinal coherence and spectral power of a Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) FEL. This concept was tested at FLASH in the range of 4.5 - 15 nm and at PAL XFEL at 1 nm. In this paper we present recent results from the European XFEL where we successfully demonstrated harmonic lasing at 5.9 Angstrom and 2.8 Angstrom. In the latter case we obtained both 3rd and 5th harmonic lasing and, for the first time, operated a harmonic lasing cascade (5th-3rd-1st harmonics of the undulator). These results pave the way for reaching very high photon energies, up to 100 keV.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2016

First operation of a harmonic lasing self-seeded free electron laser

Harmonic lasing is a perspective mode of operation of X-ray FEL user facilities that allows to provide brilliant beams of higher energy photons for user experiments. Another useful application of harmonic lasing is so called Harmonic Lasing Self-Seeded Free Electron Laser (HLSS FEL) that allows to improve spectral brightness of these facilities. In the past, harmonic lasing has been demonstrated in the FEL oscillators in infrared and visible wavelength ranges, but not in high-gain FELs and not at short wavelengths. In this paper we report on the first evidence of the harmonic lasing and the first operation of the HLSS FEL at the soft X-ray FEL user facility FLASH in the wavelength range between 4.5 nm and 15 nm. Spectral brightness was improved in comparison with Self-Amplified Spontaneous emission (SASE) FEL by a factor of six in the exponential gain regime. A better performance of HLSS FEL with respect to SASE FEL in the post-saturation regime with a tapered undulator was observed as well. The first demonstration of harmonic lasing in a high-gain FEL and at short wavelengths paves the way for a variety of applications of this new operation mode in X-ray FELs.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Coherence properties of the radiation from FLASH

FLASH is the first free electron laser user facility operating in the vacuum ultraviolet and soft x-ray wavelength range. Many user experiments require knowledge of the spatial and temporal coherence properties of the radiation. In this paper we present an analysis of the coherence properties of the radiation for the fundamental and for the higher odd frequency harmonics. We show that temporal and spatial coherence reach maximum close to the FEL saturation but may degrade significantly in the post-saturation regime. We also find that the pointing stability of short FEL pulses is limited due to the fact that non-azimuthal FEL eigenmodes are not sufficiently suppressed. We discuss possible ways for improving the degree of transverse coherence and the pointing stability.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Statistical properties of the radiation from SASE FEL operating in a post-saturation regime with and without undulator tapering

We describe statistical and coherence properties of the radiation from x-ray free electron lasers (XFEL) operating in the post-saturation regime. We consider practical case of the SASE3 FEL at the European XFEL. We perform comparison of the main characteristics of the X-ray FEL operating in the post-saturation regime with and without undulator tapering: efficiency, coherence time and degree of transverse coherence.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2014

Optimization of a high efficiency FEL amplifier

The problem of an efficiency increase of an FEL amplifier is now of great practical importance. Technique of undulator tapering in the post-saturation regime is used at the existing x-ray FELs LCLS and SACLA, and is planned for use at the European XFEL, Swiss FEL, and PAL XFEL. There are also discussions on the future of high peak and average power FELs for scientific and industrial applications. In this paper we perform detailed analysis of the tapering strategies for high power seeded FEL amplifiers. Application of similarity techniques allows us to derive universal law of the undulator tapering.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2014

Prospects for CW and LP operation of the European XFEL in hard X-ray regime

The European XFEL will operate nominally at 17.5 GeV in SP (short pulse) mode with 0.65 ms long bunch train and 10 Hz repetition rate. A possible upgrade of the linac to CW (continuous wave) or LP (long pulse) modes with a corresponding reduction of electron beam energy is under discussion since many years. Recent successes in the dedicated R&D program allow to forecast a technical feasibility of such an upgrade in the foreseeable future. One of the challenges is to provide sub-Angstrom FEL operation in CW and LP modes. In this paper we perform a preliminary analysis of a possible operation of the European XFEL in the hard X-ray regime in CW and LP modes with the energies of 7 GeV and 10 GeV, respectively. We consider lasing in the baseline XFEL undulator as well as in a new undulator with a reduced period. We show that, with reasonable requirements on electron beam quality, lasing on the fundamental will be possible in sub-Angstrom regime. As an option for generation of brilliant photon beams at short wavelengths we also consider harmonic lasing that has recently attracted a significant attention.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2013

Obtaining high degree of circular polarization at X-ray FELs via a reverse undulator taper

Baseline design of a typical X-ray FEL undulator assumes a planar configuration which results in a linear polarization of the FEL radiation. However, many experiments at X-ray FEL user facilities would profit from using a circularly polarized radiation. As a cheap upgrade one can consider an installation of a short helical (or cross-planar) afterburner, but then one should have an efficient method to suppress powerful linearly polarized background from the main undulator. In this paper we propose a new method for such a suppression: an application of the reverse taper in the main undulator. We discover that in a certain range of the taper strength, the density modulation (bunching) at saturation is practically the same as in the case of non-tapered undulator while the power of linearly polarized radiation is suppressed by orders of magnitude. Then strongly modulated electron beam radiates at full power in the afterburner. Considering SASE3 undulator of the European XFEL as a practical example, we demonstrate that soft X-ray radiation pulses with peak power in excess of 100 GW and an ultimately high degree of circular polarization can be produced. The proposed method is rather universal, i.e. it can be used at SASE FELs and seeded (self-seeded) FELs, with any wavelength of interest, in a wide range of electron beam parameters, and with any repetition rate. It can be used at different X-ray FEL facilities, in particular at LCLS after installation of the helical afterburner in the near future.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2012

A possible upgrade of FLASH for harmonic lasing down to 1.3 nm

We propose the 3rd harmonic lasing in a new FLASH undulator as a way to produce intense, narrow-band, and stable SASE radiation down to 1.3 nm with the present accelerator energy of 1.25 GeV. To provide optimal conditions for harmonic lasing, we suggest to suppress the fundamental with the help of a special set of phase shifters. We rely on the standard technology of gap-tunable planar hybrid undulators, and choose the period of 2.3 cm and the minimum gap of 0.9 cm; total length of the undulator system is 34.5 m. With the help of numerical simulations we demonstrate that the 3rd harmonic lasing at 1.3 nm provides peak power at a gigawatt level and the narrow intrinsic bandwidth, 0.1% (FWHM). Pulse duration can be controlled in the range of a few tens of femtoseconds, and the peak brilliance reaches the value of 10^31 photons/(s mrad^2 mm^2 0.1%BW). With the given undulator design, a standard option of lasing at the fundamental wavelength to saturation is possible through the entire water window and at longer wavelengths. In this paper we briefly consider additional options such as polarization control, bandwidth reduction, self-seeding, X-ray pulse compression, and two-color operation. We also discuss possible technical issues and backup solutions.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2012

Harmonic lasing in X-ray FELs

Harmonic lasing in a free electron laser with a planar undulator (under the condition that the fundamental frequency is suppressed) might be a cheap and efficient way of extension of wavelength ranges of existing and planned X-ray FEL facilities. Contrary to nonlinear harmonic generation, harmonic lasing can provide much more intense, stable, and narrow-band FEL beam which is easier to handle due to the suppressed fundamental frequency. In this paper we perform a parametrization of the solution of the eigenvalue equation for lasing at odd harmonics, and present an explicit expression for FEL gain length, taking into account all essential effects. We propose and discuss methods for suppression of the fundamental harmonic. We also suggest a combined use of harmonic lasing and lasing at the retuned fundamental wavelength in order to reduce bandwidth and to increase brilliance of X-ray beam at saturation. Considering 3rd harmonic lasing as a practical example, we come to the conclusion that it is much more robust than usually thought, and can be widely used in the existing or planned X-ray FEL facilities. In particular, LCLS after a minor modification can lase to saturation at the 3rd harmonic up to the photon energy of 25-30 keV providing multi-gigawatt power level and narrow bandwidth. As for the European XFEL, harmonic lasing would allow to extend operating range (ultimately up to 100 keV), to reduce FEL bandwidth and to increase brilliance, to enable two-color operation for pump-probe experiments, and to provide more flexible operation at different electron energies. Finally, in this paper we discover that in a part of the parameter space, corresponding to the operating range of soft X-ray beamlines of X-ray FEL facilities (like SASE3 beamline of the European XFEL), harmonics can grow faster than the fundamental wavelength.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2012

Constraints on photon pulse duration from longitudinal electron beam diagnostics at a soft X-ray free-electron laser

The successful operation of X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs), like the Linac Coherent Light Source or the Free-Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH), makes unprecedented research on matter at atomic length and ultrafast time scales possible. However, in order to take advantage of these unique light sources and to meet the strict requirements of many experiments in photon science, FEL photon pulse durations need to be known and tunable. This can be achieved by controlling the FEL driving electron beams, and high-resolution longitudinal electron beam diagnostics can be utilized to provide constraints on the expected FEL photon pulse durations. In this paper, we present comparative measurements of soft X-ray pulse durations and electron bunch lengths at FLASH. The soft X-ray pulse durations were measured by FEL radiation pulse energy statistics and compared to electron bunch lengths determined by frequency-domain spectroscopy of coherent transition radiation in the terahertz range and time-domain longitudinal phase space measurements. The experimental results, theoretical considerations, and simulations show that high-resolution longitudinal electron beam diagnostics provide reasonable constraints on the expected FEL photon pulse durations. In addition, we demonstrated the generation of soft X-ray pulses with durations below 50 fs (FWHM) after the implementation of the new uniform electron bunch compression scheme used at FLASH.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2011

Potential of the FLASH FEL technology for the construction of a kW-scale light source for the next generation lithography

The driving engine of the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) is an L-band superconducting accelerator. It is designed to operate in burst mode with 800 microsecond pulse duration at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The maximum accelerated beam current during the macropulse is 9 mA. Our analysis shows that the FLASH technology has great potential since it is possible to construct a FLASH like free electron laser operating at the wavelength of 13.5 and 6.8 nanometer with an average power up to 2.6 kW. Such a source meets the physical requirements for the light source for the next generation lithography.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2011

Generation of attosecond soft x-ray pulses in a longitudinal space charge amplifier

A longitudinal space charge amplifier (LSCA), operating in soft x-ray regime, was recently proposed. Such an amplifier consists of a few amplification cascades (focusing channel and chicane) and a short radiator undulator in the end. Broadband nature of LSCA supports generation of few-cycle pulses as well as wavelength compression. In this paper we consider an application of these properties of LSCA for generation of attosecond x-ray pulses. It is shown that a compact and cheap addition to the soft x-ray free electron laser facility FLASH would allow to generate 60 attosecond (FWHM) long x-ray pulses with the peak power at 100 MW level and a contrast above 98%.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2010

Using the longitudinal space charge instability for generation of VUV and X-ray radiation

Longitudinal space charge (LSC) driven microbunching instability in electron beam formation systems of X-ray FELs is a recently discovered effect hampering beam instrumentation and FEL operation. The instability was observed in different facilities in infrared and visible wavelength ranges. In this paper we propose to use such an instability for generation of VUV and X-ray radiation. A typical longitudinal space charge amplifier (LSCA) consists of few amplification cascades (drift space plus chicane) with a short undulator behind the last cascade. If the amplifier starts up from the shot noise, the amplified density modulation has a wide band, on the order of unity. The bandwidth of the radiation within the central cone is given by inverse number of undulator periods. A wavelength compression could be an attractive option for LSCA since the process is broadband, and a high compression stability is not required. LSCA can be used as a cheap addition to the existing or planned short-wavelength FELs. In particular, it can produce the second color for a pump-probe experiment. It is also possible to generate attosecond pulses in the VUV and X-ray regimes. Some user experiments can profit from a relatively large bandwidth of the radiation, and this is easy to obtain in LSCA scheme. Finally, since the amplification mechanism is broadband and robust, LSCA can be an interesting alternative to self-amplified spontaneous emission free electron laser (SASE FEL) in the case of using laser-plasma accelerators as drivers of light sources.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2010

Possible operation of the European XFEL with ultra-low emittance beams

Recent successful lasing of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) in the hard x-ray regime and the experimental demonstration of a possibility to produce low-charge bunches with ultra-small normalized emittance have lead to the discussions on optimistic scenarios of operation of the European XFEL. In this paper we consider new options that make use of low-emittance beams, a relatively high beam energy, tunable-gap undulators, and a multi-bunch capability of this facility. We study the possibility of operation of a spontaneous radiator (combining two of them, U1 and U2, in one beamline) in the SASE mode in the designed photon energy range 20-90 keV and show that it becomes possible with ultra-low emittance electron beams similar to those generated in LCLS. As an additional attractive option we consider the generation of powerful soft x-ray and VUV radiation by the same electron bunch for pump-probe experiments, making use of recently invented compact afterburner scheme. We also propose a betatron switcher as a simple, cheap, and robust solution for multi-color operation of SASE1 and SASE2 undulators, allowing to generate 2 to 5 x-ray beams of different independent colors from each of these undulators for simultaneous multi-user operation. We describe a scheme for pump-probe experiments, based on a production of two different colors by two closely spaced electron bunches (produced in photoinjector) with the help of a very fast betatron switcher. Finally, we discuss how without significant modifications of the layout the European XFEL can become a unique facility that continuously covers with powerful, coherent radiation a part of the electromagnetic spectrum from far infrared to gamma-rays.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2009

Statistical and coherence properties of radiation from X-ray free electron lasers

We describe statistical and coherence properties of the radiation from x-ray free electron lasers (XFEL). It is shown that the X-ray FEL radiation before saturation is described with gaussian statistics. Particularly important is the case of the optimized X-ray FEL, studied in detail. Applying similarity techniques to the results of numerical simulations allowed us to find universal scaling relations for the main characteristics of an X-ray FEL operating in the saturation regime: efficiency, coherence time and degree of transverse coherence. We find that with an appropriate normalization of these quantities, they are functions of only the ratio of the geometrical emittance of the electron beam to the radiation wavelength. Statistical and coherence properties of the higher harmonics of the radiation are highlighted as well.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2006

Coherence properties of the radiation from X-ray free electron laser

We present a comprehensive analysis of coherence properties of the radiation from X-ray free electron laser (XFEL). We consider practically important case when XFEL is optimized for maximum gain. Such an optimization allows to reduce significantly parameter space. Application of similarity techniques to the results of numerical simulations allows to present all output characteristics of the optimized XFEL as functions of the only parameter, ratio of the emittance to the radiation wavelength, $ \hatε = 2πε/λ$. Our studies show that optimum performance of the XFEL in terms of transverse coherence is achieved at the value of the parameter $\hatε$ of about unity. At smaller values of $\hatε$ the degree of transverse coherence is reduced due to strong influence of poor longitudinal coherence on a transverse one. At large values of the emittance the degree of transverse coherence degrades due to poor mode selection. Comparative analysis of existing XFEL projects, European XFEL, LCLS, and SCSS is presented as well.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2006

SASE FEL with energy-chirped electron beam and its application for generation of attosecond pulses

Influence of a linear energy chirp in the electron beam on a SASE FEL operation is studied analytically and numerically using 1-D model. Explicit expressions for Green's functions and for output power of a SASE FEL are obtained for high-gain linear regime in the limits of small and large energy chirp parameter. Saturation length and power versus energy chirp parameter are calculated numerically. It is shown that the effect of linear energy chirp on FEL gain is equivalent to the linear undulator tapering (or linear energy variation along the undulator). A consequence of this fact is a possibility to perfectly compensate FEL gain degradation, caused by the energy chirp, by means of the undulator tapering independently of the value of the energy chirp parameter. An application of this effect for generation of attosecond pulses from a hard X-ray FEL is proposed. Strong energy modulation within a short slice of an electron bunch is produced by few-cycle optical laser pulse in a short undulator, placed in front of the main undulator. Gain degradation within this slice is compensated by an appropriate undulator taper while the rest of the bunch suffers from this taper and does not lase. Three-dimensional simulations predict that short (200 attoseconds) high-power (up to 100 GW) pulses can be produced in Angstroem wavelength range with a high degree of contrast. A possibility to reduce pulse duration to sub-100 attosecond scale is discussed.

physics.acc-ph↗