Amplification and superradiant emission from a 33.3 GHz free electron laser with a reversed axial guide magnetic field

A new regime of free-electron laser (FEL) operation using a helical wiggler field and a reversed axial guide magnetic field is reported. The orientation of the axial field is such as to oppose the electron rotation imparted by the helical field. The 33.3-GHz FEL amplifier is driven by a mildly relativistic electron beam (750 kV 300 A, 30 ns) and generates 61 MW of radiation with a 27% conversion efficiency. The results are compared with those obtained when the axial guide field is in its conventional orientation, where considerable loss of power and efficiency is observed