• U. Lehnert, P. Michel, W. Seidel, D. Stehr, J. Teichert, D. Wohlfarth, R. Wuensch
  FZR, Dresden

First lasing of the mid-infrared free-electron laser at ELBE was achieved on May 7, 2004. Since then stable lasing has been achieved in the IR range from 4 to 22~μm using electron beam energies from 15 to 35~MeV. At all wavelengths below 20~μm a cw optical power higher than 1~W can be produced with an electron beam of 50~pC bunch charge or less. The optical pulse width at its minimum (2.2~ps measured at 17~μm) resembles the typical electron bunch length of 2~ps without bunch compression but can be increased by detuning the optical cavity. The optical bandwidth was in all cases close to the fourier limit.

• W. Seidel, E. Grosse, U. Lehnert, P. Michel, R. Schlenk, U. Willkommen, D. Wohlfarth, R. Wuensch
  FZR, Dresden
• A. Wolf
  MPI-K, Heidelberg

After successfully commissioning the mid-infrared FEL (U27) and adjoining a second accelerator unit (up to 35 MeV) at ELBE we have modified our plan how to produce radiation in the far infrared.To ensure the continuous variation of the wavelength up to 150 microns we want to complement the U27 undulator by a permanent magnet undulator with a period of 100 mm (U100). The minimum gap of 24 mm and the hybrid construction consisting of Sm/Co magnets and soft iron poles ensures sufficient radiation resistance and allows rms undulator parameters up to 2.7. The large field variation allows us to cover the whole wavelength range by only two different electron energies (e.g. 20 and 35 MeV). To reduce the transverse beam size we use a partial waveguide which is 10 mm high and wide enough to allow free propagation in horizontal direction. It spans from the last quadrupole in front of the undulator up to the downstream mirror and is somewhat longer than 8 m. To minimize the coupling losses between free propagation and the waveguide mode appropriate bifocal resonator mirrors will be used. Detailed calculations and computer simulations predict an outcoupled laser power of roughly 35 W around 40 microns and 20 W at 150 microns.