Proposal for a Raman X-ray Free Electron Laser

Philippe Balcou (1)

1 CELIA - Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications

A scheme for an X-ray free electron laser is proposed, based on a Raman process occurring during the interaction between a moderately relativistic bunch of free electrons, and twin intense short pulse lasers interfering to form a transverse standing wave along the electron trajectories. In the high intensity regime of the Kapitza-Dirac effect, the laser ponderomotive potential forces the electrons into a lateral oscillatory motion, resulting in a Raman scattering process. I show how a parametric process is triggered, resulting in the amplification of the Stokes component of the Raman-scattered photons. Experimental operating parameters and implementations, based both on LINAC and Laser Wakefield Acceleration techniques, are discussed.

Mots clés: X-Ray laser; free electron laser; stimulated Raman scattering

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

Philippe Balcou. Proposal for a Raman X-ray Free Electron Laser. 2009. ⟨hal-00389820⟩