We present experimental results on tuning of the HGHG FEL output wavelength while holding the input seed wavelength constant. Using compression of the initially chirped beam in the HGHG dispersion section we have measured the wavelength shift of about 1% around the nominal value of 266 nm. The tuning range is expected to reach 3 % after the dispersive section upgrade at the DUV FEL. An optimized design based on this principle, using additional linac sections, would have the capability of providing full tunability.

High Gain Harmonic Generation (HGHG), because it produces longitudinally coherent pulses derived from a coherent seed, presents remarkable possibilities for manipulating FEL pulses. If spectral phase modulation imposed on the seed modulates the spectral phase of the HGHG in a deterministic fashion, then chirped pulse amplification, pulse shaping, and coherent control experiments at short wavelengths become possible. In addition, the details of the “transfer function” will likely depend on electron beam and radiator dynamics and so prove to be a useful tool for studying these. Using the DUVFEL at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, we present spectral phase analyses of both coherent HGHG and incoherent SASE ultraviolet FEL radiation, applying Spectral Interferometry for Direct Electric Field Reconstruction (SPIDER), and assess the potential for employing compression and shaping techniques.