A short-Rayleigh length FEL will operate primarily in the fundamental mode with a Gaussian profile that is narrow at the waist and broad at the mirrors. The gain medium will distort the optical mode profile and produce higher-order modes that will expand more rapidly than the fundamental. Wavefront propagation simulations are used to study the higher-order modes, as the cavity length, Rayleigh length, electron beam current and radius, undulator taper, and the focus positions of the optical mode and electron beam are varied.

Twenty-seven years after the first operation of the short wavelength free electron laser (FEL) at Stanford University, there continue to be many important experiments, proposed experiments, and user facilities around the world. Properties of FELs operating in the infrared, visible, UV, and x-ray wavelength regimes are listed and discussed.