Numerical methods for free electron laser simulations

Abstract

The free electron laser (FEL) is a new type of coherent light source, which is based on amplification of radiation by a high-energy electron beam generated in an electron accelerator. The lasing mechanism of FELs is completely different from that of conventional optical lasers and it has nothing to do with quantum physics, and can be purely described by classical electrodynamics. Even though there are several analytical formulas to describe the amplification process in FELs, we usually need to perform numerical simulations to precisely quantify the light source performances available in FELs under practical conditions. In this paper, numerical methods for such FEL simulations are reviewed, especially focusing on how to improve the computational efficiency, together with a number of practical examples.

Keywords:

• Free electron lasers
• synchrotron radiation
• numerical methods
• simulations

Notes

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.