An ultraviolet gas-loaded free-electron laser

By loading the wiggler cavity of a free-electron laser (FEL) with hydrogen gas, it is possible to tune the FEL to below 130 nm, just above the electronic resonance of molecular hydrogen. The change in wavelength results from the refractive index of the gas, which alters the phase velocity of the wave and so modifies the synchronism condition. Using the parameters of the wiggler on the beamline of the Stanford Superconducting Accelerator, this FEL can be tuned from 500 to 130 nm with a pressure ranging from 0 to 55 torr. The calculated electronic gain varies between 5.6 and 11% over this wavelength interval, comparable to the gain in vacuum.<>