A radiation source arrangement causes interaction between pump radiation (340) and a gaseous medium (406) to generate EUV or soft x-ray radiation by higher harmonic generation (HHG). The operating condition of the radiation source arrangement is monitored by detecting (420/430) third radiation (422) resulting from an interaction between condition sensing radiation and the medium. The condition sensing radiation (740) may be the same as the first radiation or it may be separately applied. The third radiation may be for example a portion of the condition sensing radiation that is reflected or scattered by a vacuum-gas boundary, or it may be lower harmonics of the HHG process, or fluorescence, or scattered. The sensor may include one or more image detectors so that spatial distribution of intensity and/or the angular distribution of the third radiation may be analyzed. Feedback control based on the determined operating condition stabilizes operation of the HHG source.

A radiation source arrangement causes interaction between pump radiation (340) and a gaseous medium (406) to generate EUV or soft x-ray radiation by higher harmonic generation (HHG). The operating condition of the radiation source arrangement is monitored by detecting (420/430) third radiation (422) resulting from an interaction between condition sensing radiation and the medium. The condition sensing radiation (740) may be the same as the first radiation or it may be separately applied. The third radiation may be for example a portion of the condition sensing radiation that is reflected or scattered by a vacuum-gas boundary, or it may be lower harmonics of the HHG process, or fluorescence, or scattered. The sensor may include one or more image detectors so that spatial distribution of intensity and/or the angular distribution of the third radiation may be analyzed. Feedback control based on the determined operating condition stabilizes operation of the HHG source.

The invention relates to a method for generating electromagnetic radiation (preferably UV, VUV, XUV, or X-rays), to an optical short-period undulator (10) and to a free-electron laser comprising the latter. To accomplish the method, a high-energy electrically charged particle beam (5) is provided, and high-intensity electromagnetic pulses (7, 7a, 7b) are generated, and by interfering said pulses with one another an electromagnetic standing wave is created, wherein said standing wave has an electric field strength of a pre-determined peak value. The particle beam is directed through the non-steady electromagnetic field of the standing wave in or in the vicinity of a plane spanned by nodes with maximal electric field strength of said electromagnetic standing wave. Meanwhile, by the electromagnetic field of the standing wave, the particle beam is forced to travel along an undulating path and thereby, in the form of radiation emitted by said particle beam, electromagnetic radiation that propagates in the propagation direction of the particle beam is generated. Said short-period undulator (10) comprises a pulse source (2) to emit high-intensity pulses falling into the terahertz frequency range and an interaction region to direct a high-energy electrically charged particle beam, in particular an electron beam, through the undulator with undulator effect. The undulator effect is provided in the interaction region through a dynamic effect developing in or in the vicinity of a plane spanned by nodes with maximal electric field strength of an electromagnetic standing wave created by the interference of high-intensity pulses falling into the terahertz frequency range, emitted by said pulse source.

The invention relates to a method for generating electromagnetic radiation (preferably UV, VUV, XUV, or X-rays), to an optical short-period undulator (10) and to a free-electron laser comprising the latter. To accomplish the method, a high-energy electrically charged particle beam (5) is provided, and high-intensity electromagnetic pulses (7, 7a, 7b) are generated, and by interfering said pulses with one another an electromagnetic standing wave is created, wherein said standing wave has an electric field strength of a pre-determined peak value. The particle beam is directed through the non-steady electromagnetic field of the standing wave in or in the vicinity of a plane spanned by nodes with maximal electric field strength of said electromagnetic standing wave. Meanwhile, by the electromagnetic field of the standing wave, the particle beam is forced to travel along an undulating path and thereby, in the form of radiation emitted by said particle beam, electromagnetic radiation that propagates in the propagation direction of the particle beam is generated. Said short-period undulator (10) comprises a pulse source (2) to emit high-intensity pulses falling into the terahertz frequency range and an interaction region to direct a high-energy electrically charged particle beam, in particular an electron beam, through the undulator with undulator effect. The undulator effect is provided in the interaction region through a dynamic effect developing in or in the vicinity of a plane spanned by nodes with maximal electric field strength of an electromagnetic standing wave created by the interference of high-intensity pulses falling into the terahertz frequency range, emitted by said pulse source.

Passage through LINACs of electron bunches in their acceleration phase is coordinated with passage through the LINACs of electron bunches in their deceleration phase. Each successive pair of electron bunches are spaced in time by a respective bunch spacing, in accordance with a repeating electron bunch sequence. The electron source provides clearing gaps in the electron bunch sequence to allow clearing of ions at the undulator. The electron source provides the clearing gaps in accordance with a clearing gap sequence such that, for each of the plurality of energy recovery LINACS, and for substantially all of the clearing gaps: for each passage of the clearing gap through the LINAC in an acceleration phase or deceleration phase the clearing gap is coordinated with a further one of the clearing gaps passing through the LINAC in a deceleration phase or acceleration phase thereby to maintain energy recovery operation of the LINAC.

A terahertz radiator is based on coherent Smith-Purcell radiation amplified by stimulation. The terahertz radiator includes an electron emission source configured to emit electron beams and a pumping source configured to emit pumping signals. The pumping signal interacts with a primary grating structure to obtain preliminarily bunched electrons. The preliminarily bunched electrons interact with the primary grating structure to generate coherent Smith-Purcell radiation. The coherent Smith-Purcell radiation and the pumping signals vertically resonate in a primary resonant cavity structure, so that the electron bunching density is increased, and in turn, the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation is enhanced. A positive feedback process is formed by free electrons and the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation, and the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation amplified by stimulation and periodic bunched electron bunches are obtained. The terahertz radiator can be used to realize a stimulated amplification phenomenon under the conditions of small current and large beam spots.

A terahertz radiator is based on coherent Smith-Purcell radiation amplified by stimulation. The terahertz radiator includes an electron emission source configured to emit electron beams and a pumping source configured to emit pumping signals. The pumping signal interacts with a primary grating structure to obtain preliminarily bunched electrons. The preliminarily bunched electrons interact with the primary grating structure to generate coherent Smith-Purcell radiation. The coherent Smith-Purcell radiation and the pumping signals vertically resonate in a primary resonant cavity structure, so that the electron bunching density is increased, and in turn, the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation is enhanced. A positive feedback process is formed by free electrons and the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation, and the coherent Smith-Purcell radiation amplified by stimulation and periodic bunched electron bunches are obtained. The terahertz radiator can be used to realize a stimulated amplification phenomenon under the conditions of small current and large beam spots.

A set of optical elements for optical extraction composed of packed expanding optical cross sections to efficiently extract from a large gain region. The elements are rectangular shaped concave small expansion lenses matched to rectangular convex collimating lenses. Absorbing sheets divide an overall large volume up into smaller volumes to minimize losses due to amplified spontaneous emission. This arrangement has various applications, particularly in inertial confinement technology, where it may be used to extract energy from KrF laser media energized by electron beams. For certain applications, this regime of the gain medium may have zones at the absorbing sheets where this is no gain.

A set of optical elements for optical extraction composed of packed expanding optical cross sections to efficiently extract from a large gain region. The elements are rectangular shaped concave small expansion lenses matched to rectangular convex collimating lenses. Absorbing sheets divide an overall large volume up into smaller volumes to minimize losses due to amplified spontaneous emission. This arrangement has various applications, particularly in inertial confinement technology, where it may be used to extract energy from KrF laser media energized by electron beams. For certain applications, this regime of the gain medium may have zones at the absorbing sheets where this is no gain.

A system for generating an energy beam based laser includes an apparatus for receiving an energy beam and for generating an energy beam based laser. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for tuning an output wavelength of the laser generated by the apparatus using the energy beam. The apparatus includes a first component for producing a first magnetic field oriented in a first direction and a second component for producing a second magnetic field oriented in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction. A channel through the apparatus is defined by the first component and the second component through which the energy beam passes to generate the laser at an output of the apparatus. The apparatus is configurable or controllable for modifying at least one of the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field for tuning the output wavelength of the laser.