Results of the Los Alamos free-electron laser experiment

A free-electron laser (FEL) amplifier experiment to test the performance of a tapered wiggler at high optical power has been successfully completed. A well-separated two-component electron energy distribution has been obtained that is characteristic of a tapered wiggler. Energy distribution spectra and extraction efficiencies have been measured as a function of initial electron energy, energy spread, emittance, optical power, and spatial and temporal misalignments of the laser and electron beams. A maximum efficiency of ∼ 4 percent was measured, and good agreement of efficiency with a one-dimensional theory was obtained.