Linear collider accelerator systems, proposed to extend the frontiers of high energy physics research, require thousands of megawatts of peak rf power at microwave frequencies. Existing rf power devices such as klystrons are limited in rf peak power to levels that would require thousands of devices to power even a modest linear collider. On the other hand, free electron laser rf power sources are capable of high enough power levels but are not sufficiently phase stable to be practical. This project will demonstrate a free electron laser which uses axial laser interaction rather than the common transverse interaction. This permits the selection of operating parameters that result in inherently phase stable operation. The laser would serve as a basis for a commercially producible, 17 gigahertz, 500 megawatt rf power source suitable for linear collider applications.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:The successful development of a phase stable 500 MW axial free electron laser would result in a significant decrease in the cost of constructing a 1 TeV level linear collider by greatly reducing the number of rf power devices required. The peak power and energy per pulse that can be developed by the axial FEL could reach levels high enough to be useful for defense applications.
