Author: Byrd, J.M.
Paper Title Page
THPB01 Optical Comb and Interferometer Development for Laser Synchronization in Femtosecond FELs 561
 
  • R.B. Wilcox, J.M. Byrd
    LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
  • R. Holzwarth
    Menlo Systems GmbH, Martinsried, Germany
 
  Funding: This work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231
We describe a method of synchronizing lasers in FELs to potential sub-femtosecond precision using interferometry and optical clock techniques, and show supporting experimental results. This precision is needed for pump/probe experiments in ultrafast FELs. The proposed system consists of carrier/offset phase stabilized, pulsed lasers synchronized via a single optical frequency delivered over fiber, analogous to RF oscillators synchronized with a reference frequency, but at 200 to 400THz. Our tests of modelocked lasers, interferometers and stabilized CW lasers show that subsystems can perform to the required precision. We have synchronized fiber lasers to less than 10fs jitter using two different frequency comb line locking schemes, and demonstrated interferometers in a working FEL with less than 100as jitter over 150m fiber. Based on these tests and published work by others, we calculate the performance of an optimized, integrated timing system to be less than 1fs in the short term. Long term stability is maintained by feedback from X-ray/optical cross-correlation at the experiment.
 
 
THPB14 APEX Project Phase 0 and I Status and Plans and Activities for Phase II 582
 
  • F. Sannibale, B.J. Bailey, K.M. Baptiste, J.M. Byrd, A.L. Catalano, D. Colomb, C.W. Cork, J.N. Corlett, S. De Santis, L.R. Doolittle, J. Feng, D. Filippetto, G. Huang, S. Kwiatkowski, W.E. Norum, H.A. Padmore, C. F. Papadopoulos, G. Penn, G.J. Portmann, S. Prestemon, J. Qiang, D.G. Quintas, J.W. Staples, M.E. Stuart, T. Vecchione, M. Venturini, M. Vinco, W. Wan, R.P. Wells, M.S. Zolotorev, F.A. Zucca
    LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
  • M. J. Messerly, M.A. Prantil
    LLNL, Livermore, California, USA
  • C. Pellegrini
    UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • M. Yoon
    POSTECH, Pohang, Kyungbuk, Republic of Korea
 
  Funding: This work was supported by the Director of the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy under Contract no. DEAC02-05CH11231
The APEX project at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is devoted to the development of a high repetition rate (MHz-class) electron injector for X-ray FEL applications. The injector is based on a new concept photo-gun, utilizing a normal conducting 187 MHz RF cavity operating in CW mode in conjunction with high quantum efficiency photocathodes able to deliver the required repetition rates with available laser technology. The APEX activities are staged in two phases. In Phase I, the electron photo-gun is constructed, tested and several different photo-cathodes, such as alkali antimonides, Cs2Te [1], diamond amplifiers [2], and metals, are tested at full repetition rate. In Phase II, a pulsed linac is added for accelerating the beam at several tens of MeV to prove the high brightness performance of the gun when integrated in an injector scheme. Based on funding availability, after Phase II, the program could also include testing of new undulator technologies and FEL studies. The status of Phase I, in its initial experimental phase, is described together with plans and activities for Phase II and beyond.
[1] In collaboration with INFN-LASA, Milano, Italy.
[2] In collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton NY, USA