An X-ray free-electron laser with a highly configurable undulator and integrated chicanes for tailored pulse properties.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37604879.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-40759-z and PMC identifier 10442322.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
X-ray free-electron lasers (FELs) are state-of-the-art scientific tools capable to study matter on the scale of atomic processes. Since the initial operation of X-ray FELs more than a decade ago, several facilities with upgraded performance have been put in operation. Here we present the first lasing results of Athos, the soft X-ray FEL beamline of SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Athos features an undulator layout based on short APPLE-X modules providing full polarisation control, interleaved with small magnetic chicanes. This versatile configuration allows for many operational modes, giving control over many FEL properties. We show, for example, a 35% reduction of the required undulator length to achieve FEL saturation with respect to standard undulator configurations. We also demonstrate the generation of more powerful pulses than the ones obtained in typical undulators. Athos represents a fundamental step forward in the design of FEL facilities, creating opportunities in FEL-based sciences.