Super-radiant free electron laser measurement and detection

Abstract

A free electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that use relativistic electron bunches and a periodic magnetic field to generate coherent radiation. These types of lasers are of interest to the Navy because they can operate at the high average power with excellent optical beam quality that is needed in many military applications. A current project between the U.S. Navy and Niowave Inc. is to create a super-radiant FEL that uses superconducting spoke cavities for the electron accelerating structures. These types of cavities have never been used in an FEL before and may be more suitable for deployment on naval platforms due to their smaller size and structural rigidity compared to more conventional cavities. Furthermore, spoke cavities allow operation at lower accelerating frequencies while still maintaining reasonable size cavities, which may reduce power requirements for the cryoplant. This thesis will discuss variety of optical transport and detection arrangements for various setups and FEL operational regimes.