Status of the Advanced Photon Source low-energy undulator test line

A Low-Energy Undulator Test Line (LEUTL) is under construction at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). Its purpose is to fully characterize innovative, future-generation undulators, and to act as a test line in pursuit of generating coherent radiation at wavelengths down to a few tens of nanometers. The line will use a high-brightness RF electron gun as its source and the APS linac to accelerate these electrons up to >650MeV. This beam will then be directed through undulators located in a new 50m long enclosure. In addition, there is an end station external to the radiation environment which will house the equipment necessary to directly study the light generated by the beam and undulator system. At present, the new enclosures are complete, the electron rf gun is installed and operational, and a part of the necessary transport line is installed. A prototypical undulator cell, suitable for testing the requirements of single-pass free-electron laser operation, is near completion and will be installed during the winter shutdown of 1998. This paper will describe the LEUTL project and, in particular, its capabilities for exploring the self-amplified spontaneous emission process.