FEL research and development at the SLAC sub-picosecond photon source, SPPS

An upgrade project to the SLAC linac allows ultra-short electron bunches to be interleaved with the routine high-energy physics program operation, for use with an undulator to produce short-pulse, high-brightness X-rays. The linac upgrade comprises of the installation in the summer of 2002 of a bunch compressor chicane of similar design to the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) project. A final compression stage in the high-energy Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) line compresses the 28GeV, 3.4nC electron bunch to 80fs FWHM, where a 5m section of undulator (K=4.45) will produce 1.5Å X-rays with 3×107 photons per pulse and a peak brightness of 4×1024 photons mm−2mrad−2s−1 (0.1% BW). The facility will allow us to test the dynamics and associated technology of bunch compression and gain valuable experience for the LCLS using the SLAC linac. New ultra-short electron bunch diagnostic techniques will be developed hand in hand with the same ultra-fast laser technology to be used for LCLS. Issues of high peak power (27GW) X-ray transport and optics can be addressed at this facility as well as pump-probe and ultra-fast laser timing and stability issues.