Seeded VISA: A 1064nm laser-seeded FEL amplifier at the BNL ATF

An experimental study of a seeded Free Electron Laser (FEL) using the VISA undulator and a Nd:YAG seed laser will be performed at the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The study is motivated by the demand for a short Rayleigh length FEL amplifier at 1 micron to allow for high power transmission with minimal damage of transport optics. Planned measurements include transverse and longitudinal coherence, angular distribution, and wavelength spectrum of the FEL radiation. The effects of detuning the electron beam energy will be studied, with an emphasis on control of the radiation emission angles and increase of the amplifier efficiency. Results of start-to-end simulations are also presented.